


As the Snow Falls Quietly

by Sukuangtou



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Angst, Big Brother Sans, Brothers, Gaster Blasters, Hurt/Comfort, abandoned au, baby bones, mentions of experimentation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-12
Updated: 2016-08-30
Packaged: 2018-07-14 15:23:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 22,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7177235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sukuangtou/pseuds/Sukuangtou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sans couldn't do this anymore.</p><p>"Where are we going? Brother?"</p><p>He just...He just couldn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Nice Spot

Sans couldn’t do this anymore.

“Where are we going? Brother?”

He just…He just couldn’t.

“Sans?”

It was for the best, he told himself.

“S-Sans?”

He could barely keep himself together, how the _hell_ was he meant to care for a kid?

“Sans…” A light tug on his hoodie sleeve.

Pap was a cute kid, all big eyed and bushy tailed, someone would take him in. Surely. 

Silence. Small fingers slipped into his own.

He never asked for all this. 

An echo flower came into view as they walked quietly along, and Papyrus moved away from the older skeleton to tap it, grinning when someone’s angry mumbling about nice cream sales could be heard. Once it was done, Pap lent close and whispered to the plant before skipping to catch up with Sans, who had continued walking.

“Sans?” His brother grunted in response. “What are we doing?”

“Walking.” Papyrus lightly shoved him.

“Yeah but where to?” Sans pointed ahead of them.

“This way.”

“Saaaans…” The older chuckled slightly, though it was quieter than normal. He held out his hand to Papyrus who eagerly took it.

“I gotta do something for a little while, so I’m…” Sans swallowed and rethought his words, “You’re going to have to wait for me.”

“In Waterfall?” Papyrus frowned, “But we live in Snowdin.”

“Hey, I thought you liked Waterfall?” Sans glanced around, trying not to make eye contact, his fingers of his free hand twitching and fidgeting, “Don’t you wanna play in the puddles?” The younger skeleton’s eyes lit up. 

“Yeah! I, the Great Papyrus, will jump in them!” A determined look spread across his face, “And I will listen to _all_ the flowers!”

“All of them?” Sans raised an uneasy eyebrow. 

“ _All_ of them.”

“If you say so bro.” Grinding his teeth together quietly, Sans slowed to a halt, peering around to make sure they were alone. This was the spot.

They were on one of the main paths through Waterfall, which later on today would become busy as people headed home for the evening. There were several large puddles and an echo flower to keep Papyrus entertained, as well as some long grass should he need to hide…

God, what was he doing?

 _The right thing,_ his mind supplied. 

He’s just a kid, he argued back.

 _So are you,_ it whispered, _you can’t do this. Think about last month, you nearly lost him. You did that._

“Is this it?” Papyrus let go of his hand and wandered over to one of the puddles, staring down at his own reflection and pulling a face. He giggled.

This was for his own good.

“Y-yeah it is. Listen, Pap, come here a second.” _Oh god oh god oh god oh god_ “I-I’ve got some special instructions for you to follow, ok?” He placed his hands on the other’s shoulders, making sure Pap was listening. 

“Wowie!” Papyrus’ eyes gleamed.

“I’m gonna need you to stay here, along this path, ok?” His brother nodded enthusiastically. “And if anybody nice comes along, why don’t you see if you can make some friends?” Pap audibly gasped.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’m gonna be gone for a little while and it might be boring, so maybe you could find someone to play with? Maybe that old turtle?” He came along here at the same time each day, Sans had noticed when he begun staking out this spot, he would be the best at raising a child. Not him.

“He looks really nice,” Pap agreed, nodding his head.

“Also, I need you to take really good care of these for me while I’m gone.” Reaching into his pocket he pulled out their blanket and handed it to his brother, “I’ve wrapped some monster candy inside, which are for _emergencies_ only, you got that Pap?”

“Uh-huh, how long will you be gone?”

“For...For a while.”

“Can’t…I come?” Papyrus fiddled with the blanket, not meeting his eye, “If it’s ‘cause I’m little I’ll behave, promise! You won’t even know-”

“No!” Sans put his hand up to silence the younger skeleton and Pap shrunk back, looking at the floor. “L-look Pap, where I’m going…It’s not safe for baby bones, so…Please? For me? Can’t you just wait here?” 

_Please Pap, make this easy for me._

“S-sorry, ok, I’ll stay.” Pap gave him a small smile and Sans desperately blinked back the tears that threatened to spill.

“Good boy,” He pulled him into a tight hug, ignoring how tiny he felt in his arms, “You’re a good boy Pap.”

“A cool dude?” His brother said into his shoulder, returning the hug. Sans chuckled.

“A very cool dude.” Releasing the hold, he stood up, his shaking hands finding their way into the hoodie pockets, curling into tight balls. “K-keep an eye out for that ol’ turtle, yeah?” His voice threatened to crack.

“Ok, see you later brother! Love you!”

“Love you too bro.” 

There was a pause, Sans watching his brother's wide grin, the way his little mitten-covered hands held the blanket and his treats, before he vanished into thin air.

Papyrus placed the blanket on the ground and wandered over to the echo flower, giving it a light tap.

_“Love you too bro”_

Giggling, Papyrus wondered over to the puddles and begun kicking the water around, spraying it about, unaware that he had just been abandoned.


	2. Love You Too Bro

_“Love you too bro”_

Papyrus nudged the flower again with his muzzle. 

_“Love you too bro”_

Whining, though keeping quiet enough as to not erase the message, Papyrus stood and stretched, glancing around his little dark corner. Years ago ( _so many years_ ) he had moved the flower here, desperate to preserve the sound of…It had been too noisy along that path, too dangerous of the message leaving him forever, so he dug up the roots and planted it in this secluded space, hidden from view and far away from the paths.

At times he didn’t know why he had bothered, obviously it wasn’t true.

Shaking those thoughts away, they were the last thing he wanted at the moment, he walked away, carefully navigating the marshy landscape. Waterfall had been his home for most of his life, and he knew all the little cracks and crevices it held like the back of his…Hand? Paw? He paused momentarily to study his own anatomy, blinking at it. 

Claws, he settled on, he knew this place like his claws.

Though admittedly when it came to his hind claws…

Papyrus got a headache and decided to just keep moving, sliding through the long grass silently, ignoring the mud from the river banks that was collecting on his legs. He was heading towards the garbage dump today, in hope of finding some food. On previous trips he and found these odd rectangle things that, once out of the shiny wrapper, was actually quite tasty. He hoped to find more.

His stomach growled and Papyrus bit back a whine, how long had he gone hungry now? Two days? Three? When had he eaten those fries?

A shiver went down his spine and tail. Those fries. Ugh.

_Sooooo greasy._

But he had been desperate. Snowdin had been harder to move through than he’d realised, with all that deep snow, and he soon found himself caught out in a snow storm after dark. Normally he would have never have left Waterfall, but…He had been curious, naively so. Papyrus only had the vaguest of memories of living there, of snowmen and huge trees and of being carried and feeling _warm_. A world so different to the constant wet and marshy land he was used to. 

Curiosity nearly killed the cat. Or, well, beast…Thing. Whatever he was.

Papyrus shook his head, less thought about it the better. Anyway, he was at the dump now, time to concentrate. Slipping into the water he sniffed around, moving away from the pile that stunk strongly of acid. He knew better than to touch anything from there. 

There were a few silver packets that smelled vaguely of food, the tangy odors getting into his nose and making him sneeze, but whatever had been inside was gone, so he moved along, climbing one pile when he thought he had found meat. Papyrus had to swallow away the disappointment when it turned out green and fluffy. Still, he kept looking, trying to keep hold of his hope of finding something edible.

After a while he lowered his standards to anything that could be digested.

......

Grillby’s was quiet tonight. Dogamy and Dogaressa were sat in the corner, being all lovey-dovey, and to the far right a rabbit lay halfway across a table, slurring to anyone who walked past that he was not drunk. The eight glasses around him suggested otherwise. Sans himself was sat at the bar, munching through fries and ketchup. The bar owner stood nearby, making use of the quiet time to wash up some plates from the earlier dinner rush. It was comfortable, it was warm, and no one felt like leaving this little place just yet.

“So, up to anything new?” Sans asked, making sure that the fry had the perfect amount of ketchup on it (the fry cannot actually be seen beneath the condiment, though Grillby knew better than to point this out.) 

“Not really,” The fire element sighed, “Though between you and me, I think I might have rats outside.”

“No kidding.”

“I swear I saw movement the other night, and the next day all my black bags were ripped open,” He grumbled, “There was stuff everywhere, which I had to clean up.”

“Sounds ter- _rat_ -able.”

“I can take those fries away.”

“Hehe, sorry,” Sans ate a little faster, just in case, “What are you gonna do about it?” Grillby thought for a moment.

“I might put some poison down. Last thing I need is them coming in here.”

“Bad for business.”

“Indeed.” The conversation died down, and Sans concentrated on finishing his meal. The drunk rabbit finally fell off the table, and lay unconscious on the floor, one of his ears twitching. Grillby rolled his eyes and ignored him, instead beginning to dry the plates. He’ll ask one of the dogs to drag the guy outside when they leave. Sans sighed and stretched. 

“Welp, I’m off, put-”

“Already added it,” Grillby cut him off, “Night Sans.” Sans waved over his shoulder and left, walking out into the cold. There was a bit of a wind tonight, picking up some of the lighter snow and twirling it around. Sans put up his hood, shivering and keeping his gaze to the ground as he slowly trudged home. That storm had really made this stuff deep, hadn’t it? He grumbled under his breath, cursing his short legs. 

Eventually, after what felt like hours of knee-deep snow (it had only been thirty minutes), his house came into view.

“Woops, left the lights on again,” He mumbled.

There was a bottle and glass waiting on the living room table when he got inside, and Sans didn’t even think twice, settling on the sofa and pouring himself a glass. He paused for a moment, watching the liquid and putting his feet up on the table. Sans sighed, and then toasted.

“Heh, happy birthday Papyrus.”

Three more bottles would be consumed before midnight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was originally planning on uploading this tomorrow (Wednesday), but 3:15pm on Tuesday is close enough, right?
> 
> On a side note, I'm probably going post one chapter per week as I'm writing ahead (I'm currently on chapter 10!) and I want to pace my uploading, otherwise I run the risk of catching up with myself.


	3. Panicked Waters

“Wosh u leg.” 

Papyrus shook his head and back up a little, trying to sneak into the longer grass. The Woshua looked at him, confused, and indicated to the hind leg Papyrus had tucked tightly beneath him. Clearly it thought that washing it would make it better. Papyrus knew otherwise, though he was a flattered at the kind gesture. It wanted to help?

“Wosh u face?” It tried, looking hopeful. Papyrus paused, and then hesitantly nodded, shuffling closer so the Woshua could reach him. Green petal-shaped bullets bloomed and gently began to scrub his face, removing the grime he had picked up from the dump the other day. It would probably make him look odd; having a sparkly clean face and a dirty body, but it was better than letting the creature touch the injured limb.

“Fresh!” Woshua exclaimed, grinning at its own handiwork. Papyrus smiled back as best as he could, wagging his tail and yipping to show his gratitude before they both parted their separate ways, Papyrus slipping into the grass and moving parallel to the path, but not on it. Sometimes the teens from both Snowdin and Hotland liked to visit and “stake claim to their territory”, as they put it, and he wanted to avoid them as much as possible. He was weak enough already without getting into a fight. 

Waterfall began to grow darker, and Papyrus quickly brushed against a mushroom to light the way. The dump had been an unsuccessful mission, so today he had tried looking through the bins behind this weird house that bent over to one side, but they had proven empty. 

Papyrus was beginning to feel desperate. He needed food soon otherwise he’ll end up in trouble. A whimper left his throat without his permission, where could he look next? 

“Yeah, those punks had better not come back!” A voice boomed ahead of him, and Papyrus froze, body going stiff as footsteps began to echo around the cave walls. 

“A-are you s-s-sure you’re ok?” Another voice piped up, quieter than the previous.

“Ha! They were nothing against me!”

Desperately scanning around Papyrus searched for a hiding place, while the long grass would conceal him, he did flatten a rather noticeable patch. Anyone tall enough would see it almost immediately. But there was nowhere else he could go, not without running across open ground, so he crouched as low as he could, trying to bend the grass around him over the empty space. 

The footsteps grew louder, joined by the clanking of metal armour. They were going to walk right past him.  
“Don’t worry so much about me,” The louder voice said, “I’m pretty tough, and they couldn’t do much to me even if they wanted to.” They sounded so fierce, Papyrus was sure they must look terrifying. Maybe they had sharp teeth? Or lots of spikes? He tried not to think about it. Tried.

“I-I know.” 

They were nearly on him now. Papyrus suppressed a nervous whine. 

_Please just keep moving._

“Naw Alphy! Come here!” The two paused, giggling at each other and then yelping as they tumbled into the grass, only a few feet away from Papyrus. If Papyrus knew any curse words, he would have thought them now. They were laughing, loud and distracted, so he crept back a little, trying to put some distance between them.

Instead the ground vanished beneath him and he toppled into the water.

His body clenched up with the shock of the cold, tumbling around and trying to work out which way was up. He made the mistake of opening his mouth, and found himself choking, coughs harshly trying to remove the water from his lungs but unable as he was below the surface.

_Which way is up? Which way is up?_

Papyrus tried to coordinate his legs, attempting to swim, but he had no idea where he was going and instead went head first into the river bank, banging his head and getting his legs and tail in a tangle.

_Need air!_

( _Will be good! Will be good! No punishment!_ )

A hand suddenly grabbed onto his scruff, dragging him upwards and into the air. The world became bright (Too bright, too white, too clean, pain, too much pain) and his body convulsed, vomiting the water from his body, his ribs aching from the effort and his legs shaking. His throat burned as he gagged once more.

“Woah! Hey…Calm…Guy…” Voices, who were these voices? Papyrus didn’t know any voices, did he? Someone laid him down on the ground, a hand travelling down his spine. It was…Nice.

( _“Go to sleep, Pap. Do you want me to tell you a story?”_ )

“E-easy, j-just breathe.” Panting, Papyrus blinked open his eyes, shaking water droplets from his skull. As his vision cleared a large red and blue blob appeared in his line of sight and he froze. It quickly held up its hands.

“Hey, I ain’t gonna hurt ya,” It said, scales now appearing, the red turning out to be hair. They were looking at him with this odd expression, which Papyrus couldn’t tell if it was concerned or annoyed. 

“Are y-you ok now?” Said someone else to his side, and he turned to them, taking in the yellow skin, the teeth, the white lab coat.

He stared, going completely and utterly ridged. 

_White coat white coat white coat white coat white coat white coat_

“Easy, fella, easy…” Said blue, reaching towards him, “You need to-”

_White coats hands white coat hands white coAT HANDS_

Papyrus bolted.

Or, well, stumbled his way onto the pathway and tripping onto his side.

Same thing.

“Hey! Wait!”

“You n-nearly drowned, you shouldn’t be moving!”

Blue and Yellow were both standing, watching as he climbed to his feet, orange oozing from his eyes, sparking by his claws.

“Woah, what’s up with your leg?” Blue moved forward, leaning to the side to try and get a glimpse of the limb curled tightly to his body, “That needs seeing to buddy.” Yellow came closer.

“I-I can help!”

Orange flared and they stopped, watching the spiking flames as they licked the ground and grass, crackling, effectively keeping them at bay. Sensing this opportunity, Papyrus turned tail and fled, practically flying over the marshy land.

“Wait!”

“P-please!”

He didn’t look back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trivia: Working title for this chapter was "Splish Splash I was taking a Bath"
> 
> On Sunday I'm going away for two weeks, so I'll post another chapter later this week to tide you guys over!


	4. His Kind

Sans was at Grillby’s again, though it was a lot more crowded than it had been the other evening. It seemed that Undyne had a meeting with the dogs tonight, something about “not reporting every piece of snow falling from branches.” Grillby himself was rushed off his feet serving drinks, making sure Greater Dog didn’t send any glasses flying (again), as well as dealing with the dinner rush. 

Sans pondered if he should have come later as he stared down at his slightly sad-looking burger. He wasn’t really feeling it tonight.

There was a smashing of glass, and the noise died down

“Woops, sorry Grills, I’ll replace it!” Undyne called across the bar. Grillby waved a hand and everyone resumed their conversations. 

“Flaming dogs,” The fire element muttered to Sans as he walked passed with another tray of drinks, causing the skeleton to chuckle. Picking up his burger, Sans continued his meal, savouring the taste of ketchup. He blinked when Undyne appeared next to him, taking a seat and sighing.

“ _Ruff_ day?”

“Don’t you dare,” She glared, though there was no heat behind it, “Hey Grillby, I’ll pay our check now.” Reaching into her pocket she pulled out some coins, counting it out and handing it to the bar owner. 

“So, did Alphys get back ok?” He and Alphys had known each other for a good number of years now, after she found Sans wandering the old…

Turned out they had some shared interests.

“Well, we ran into some teens…” She started, drifting off, seemly uncomfortable. 

“Right…” He watched her, “And were they any bother?” Undyne snapped out of her gaze, looking a little offended.

“What? No! I saw them off easily enough.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“I’ve…Been meaning to ask you,” She turned to him, “Are there any other skeletons?”

The world vanished.

Sanitiser filled the air.

It was _so bright_

_“Subject S, please climb onto-”_

_“Sans! You’re back-”_

“Sans?”

Sans blinked, the cosy atmosphere of Grillby’s trickling back into his vision. Undyne had a hand on his shoulder, watching him with wide eyes and standing. The background noise of chatter, of dogs barking, of the owner rushing around, came back into his hearing.

“Sans?” Undyne said again, a little louder, “Are you ok?”

“Y-yeah…Yeah I’m fine, sorry,” He took a swig of his drink, holding up the glass, “Might have had a little too much, this stuff can go straight through ya.” Undyne nudged him, scowling.

“A little warning next time, please,” She huffed, leaning on the bar, “So…Do you?”

“Hm?”

“Know of other skeletons?” 

Sans kept his gaze down, fiddling with the top bun of his burger, adding more ketchup. 

“No,” He finally said, taking a large bite to try and avoid any other questions. For the first time he noticed the sheer amount of grease and wanted to choke, the bread turned into mush and sticking to the roof of his mouth. He resisted spitting it out.

“Huh,” Undyne glanced around the bar, not noticing his disgusted shiver, “Well, after we had our run in with those teens, Alphys and I…Err…” A light blush appeared on her scales, “Were walking, and we startled this creature. It was about…Yay high?” She held her hand against her hip, “And was kinda like a dog, but not, ya know?” Sans stared at her blankly. “Oh, well, it had this, like, canine shaped head, and it a tail and four legs…Though one of them was injured-”

“Look,” He cut her off ( _Please, don’t tell me anymore_ ), “I have no idea what it was, if that’s what you’re asking.” ( _He felt his sins crawling up his back_ )

Undyne grimaced, looking away.

“Yeah, I know, just Alphys is all worried, that’s all,” She began fiddling with her armour, “She thinks it was only young, and like I said it was injured…”

“It was probably someone’s…” _Pet…_

_“Subject S, you are nothing more than a-”_

“Kid?” Undyne finished, “I’m worried about that…” She sighed once more, before pushing off the bar, “Anyway, if you don’t know then don’t worry, and hey,” She picked up his drink, “I don’t want you hung over tomorrow, got it?” She winked and left, some of the dogs following her out the doors.

“Hey, you ok?” Grillby wandered up from the other side of the bar, glass and cloth in hand. 

“Yeah, I think I’m going to call it a night.” Slipping off the stool Sans didn’t wait to hear that Grillby had put it on his tab, instead, walking straight out the bar and into the snow. He shivered, doing up the zip and flinging on the hood.

It was cold.

_It was cold._

_“Hey, Pap, look, I’ve found another blanket,” He tried to sound enthusiastic, kneeling by the little shaking form, “Pap?”_

_Taking off his gloves, he shook his brother, getting a small whimper in response. Taking the five-year-old into his arms, he cradled his brother._

_“Hey, what’s wrong?” Scared eyes scanned Papyrus’ scrunched up face, and moved a hand to feel his forehead._

_Shit._

Sans fell to his knees as he reached his doorway, legs unable to hold his weight as his breathing began to spike. Hands reached under the hood and clawed at his skull, tears spilling onto the frosty step, a small, helpless whine leaving his mouth. He could feel his magic bubbling inside, wanting to lash out, to destroy, to protect.

Shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here's the second chapter of the week.
> 
> I'm a little concerned as I have had no chance to write at all this week, due to moving from uni to home for the summer and the EU vote (Which is terrifying me as I have no idea what my future holds.) So I'm not sure that after these two weeks away I'll upload another chapter immediately, but I will try to get one up as soon as I can.


	5. Midnight

_“Subject S, if you don’t improve immediately then Subject P will be punished.”_

_Cold. Hard. Uncaring._

_“W-What? No! I can do it!”_

_“Then prove it. Take out the target in one blow. Now.”_

_Trying. Tired. Magic. Pain._

_Hard to breathe._

_“You’re disappointing me, Subject S.” Moved from controls to stand over him, “Are you really going to abandon your brother?”_

_“Sans?” Little Pap, in only his gown, looking up with big eyes._

_“Pap? No, go back to the room!”_

_“Sans?” Papyrus’ voice wavered, and he begins looking around. The world turns dark. HE vanishes. No more lab. Waterfall?_

_“S-Sans?” His brother is crying. He’s shivering. He’s cold._

_“Where are you? Why did you abandon me?”_

_“Pap, no I’m here-”_

_“Why?” Papyrus looks straight at him, “Why?”_

_“Why?” HE says._

Sans bolted upright, hands grasping the bed sheets for dear life. Blue magic swirled around him, illuminating the room in waves as he clasps at his chest, trying to calm the panic whizzing around his body. 

“Heh,” Sans doesn’t know if he’s laughing or crying, “Haha, oh god.”

The snow outside is harsh and wild, making his window rattle.

“This is why, Paps,” He whispers into the night, running a hand over his head, “This is why.”

……

Papyrus was shaking.

After his little…Encounter with Blue and Yellow he had simply ran in any direction he could find, taking shortcuts, doing unexpected turns, diving headfirst into rivers, just trying to put as much distance as he could between them and him. His legs were screaming, Papyrus ignored them. His lungs felt weak, Papyrus ignored them.

How long had he gone undetected? How long had he been safe and secure in Waterfall? How quickly had he unravelled that, by not being careful, by being stupid and ignorant of his surroundings? By letting himself be seen, be heard, be touched? 

He needed to get away, to be as far from those two monsters as he could, to find a hole and curl up and be _safe._

He was still looking for that hole, in the middle of the forests of Snowdin. Snow was whipping around, battering his body from all angles as the wind howled, like a bully threatening to push him over if he made a wrong move. It lay deep on the ground, reaching up to his chest, making walking slow and tiring. He had no idea where he was, no idea where he came from, and no idea how to get home. Or, at least, to his flower. 

_“Love you too bro”_

Papyrus whined pathetically, slowing to a halt, simply standing there. Exhaustion was creeping into his bones, snaking around like vines and sucking away any energy he had left. The days without food wasn’t helping either. 

The world toppled sideways, tunnelling and warping, and Papyrus was greeted with a face full of freezing wet snow. Yelping, abruptly waking up from his half-starved daze, he clambered to his feet, shaking himself and walking again, tail between his legs.

_Don’t stop, don’t go to sleep, you can do this._

He was filled with determination, however wavering it may be.

……

There was no way in hell Sans was going to get to sleep tonight, so instead he wandered the house, at a loss of what to do, trying to forget his troubles. At first he tried to watch TV, but within minutes he turned it off. He tried making a drink, something warm and usually good for the nerves, but tonight it tasted vile in his mouth, a reminder of the luxury he now lived compared to…

Eventually he found himself standing on the balcony above the living area, staring at the door of the spare room. It was large inside, with a window looking out to the trees. When he had first arrived Sans didn’t have many worldly goods, so had no need for the empty space. Over the years a few boxes had been put inside, but they only contained some flimsy, untranslatable notes and science books. Sometimes, during the drunken nights where he drowned his sins, he wondered if…He…Would have slept here. Maybe he would keep his stories by the wall, or maybe those action figures he saw in a shop window once. He had fallen in love with those things, but with no money he could only admire then from a distance. Sans could remember his face when they were sold a week later, and he could no longer see them.

Sans blinked, suddenly finding himself in the room. He stood in the middle, the light from the landing shining through the doorway. Heh, he could almost see it. That’s where the bed would be, and over there probably a computer, or maybe a desk. 

“What are you doing, Sans?” He muttered, putting his head in his hand. Taking a deep breath he cleared his mind, willing away such thoughts. He moved over to the window, staring tiredly at the world beyond. The storm was really beginning to pick up now, and Sans prayed for any poor soul out in this.

_Like P-_

“Subject S.”

Sans spun around, magic flaming, eyes wide, searching for the source of the voice. 

The room remained quiet and empty, watching him. 

Stumbling forward, Sans retreated to the landing, firmly shutting the door ( _and both of them_ ) behind him.

“I thought I was over this,” He legs threatened to give way, “I thought this died years ago.”

Sans didn’t sleep for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with your weekly chapter! Woohoo!
> 
> Thank you for all your lovely comments and kudos, you have no idea how much of a need I have to hug you all.


	6. Waterfall Regrets

It was lucky Sans only had a morning shift, during which he was able to catch up with some much needed sleep. His body was exhausted and his mind numb, and being able to close his eyes for a couple of hours, lulled by the sounds of the trees, was heaven.

The Royal Guards were dealing with the aftermath of the storm, moving fallen branches off paths and trying to clear some of the deeper snow from the main town, meaning that Sans was left well alone to snooze. By the time he got back into Snowdon most of the work had been done, and the Guard were moving onto their normal tasks. Grillby’s was open, so Sans picked up his lunch on his way, eating the burger as he walked. 

Once home he slipped off his jacket, plonking on the sofa and switching on whatever mindless TV he could find, munching on his fries. There wasn’t much on, and eventually he settled for a rerun quiz show, though it had been showed about eight times over the last month, and he knew all the answers, but it was something to drown out the silence of the house. 

He sat there for an hour.

Then two.

“Fuck it.” He stood, snapping off the TV, grabbing his jacket and marching out the door, barley pausing to do up the zip. Sticking his hood up and bundling his hands into his pockets, he stomped to the river.

“Tra la la, care for a ride?”

“Waterfall.” Hopping onto the boat, Sans settled into a seat, deliberately facing away from the River Person to avoid conversation. 

“Then we’re off…”

They moved in silence, the boat bobbing on the unsettled waters, passing the quiet woods of Snowdin. Sans kept his eyes down, watching the river lap against the boat, not daring to look out into the trees, in case he saw Him again. 

Last night…

He was so sure he had heard that voice. He _had_ to have been there. 

But Sans thought he had gotten over this, thought this was put behind him years ago. It was the reason for…

He sighed tiredly.

He didn’t like the idea of abandoning his brother for nothing.

Soon the trees began to thin out and the landscape became wetter, marshland appearing. Carefully, the boat was steered against the bank, bumping into it lightly.

“Come again sometime…Tra la la…”

“Thanks.”

Sans was beginning to regret this decision. Waterfall always brought back memories he longed to suppress ( _You’re a horrible brother_ ), and after last night he hardly felt completely sane, that voice ( _horrible, cold_ ) still ringing in his head. Still, he was here now, though for what purpose he had yet to decide. 

What exactly was he hoping for? To run into P…Him after so long? To welcome him into his arms and take him home? To give him a roof over his head and warmth and safety? Would P…Pap-( _He lost the right to say that nickname years ago_ )-yrus even want him near? Would he still consider them brothers after all he did?

Sans shuffled along, unsure where to look, glancing nervously between the path, the grass, the river, and back again. After a while he realised that maybe wearing slippers might have been a mistake, as they slowly became soggy, soaking up the moisture from the damp ground and squelching with each step. 

“Great,” He grumbled, examining the soaking pink masses on his feet, “I’ll need to buy a new pair.” He took one off and wrung it out, grimacing as the water trickled down his hands and into his sleeves. Lovely. Brilliant. Just what he wanted. 

He wondered around for another hour, actively avoiding the area where he had left Papyrus, before eventually giving up. What he was giving up on, he didn’t know as he had no clue what he had wanted in the first place, but he gave up on it anyway. Typical of his life story, really. 

He caught another lift with the River Person, who politely ignored the haggard expression on his face, and arrived back in Snowdin as it began to get dark. The town was still, with most people bundled away inside their cosy houses, and as he walked Sans could hear the chatter of Grillby’s wafting in the air. He himself was freezing, especially his feet, and he walked quickly home, head down. 

Eventually his house came into view; bright yellow light still on from earlier today. Woops, how many times had he done that now?

He huffed and walked up to the door, fumbling with his keys as his shivering fingers tried to find the right one.

“Nyye.”

Sans paused, peering over his shoulder and then turning right around. The heck was that?

“Mmm.”

He walked a little way from the front step, staring out into the rapidly darkening town. Maybe it was a drunk? It was a bit early, but anything was possible. They might be throwing up in the woods or something. Frowning, Sans turned back to the house, jumping when a large shape caught his eye.

“Oh, hehe,” He moved over to the bin, which was laid on its side, the lid settled in the snow. 

_Must have been knocked over in the storm._

Sans bent over, picking up the lid and brushing the white powder from it. He really needed to find a better set of bins, these ones always ran the risk of depositing his rubbish everywhere when they fell over, and he couldn’t be bothered with that.

“Mhmh.”

Sans froze, moving to face the fallen bin. The top was facing towards him, and, for the first time, he noticed a dark, shaking lump inside. Feeling his magic spurt from his hand, the lid dropping back into the snow, Sans wordlessly crept closer, blue eye never moving from the creature. It didn’t seem to notice, or perhaps just didn’t care, but as he neared Sans suddenly realised that this thing was large, and if wanted to full out attack there was every change he could get overpowered very quickly. 

He went rigid as it shifted around, legs and a tail sticking out at odd angles.

Sans rose his hand, flooding light into the bin.

The world died around him.

All noise stopped.

All air left his lungs, making him gasp harshly, gulping for breath.

“Papyrus…?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technically I uploaded the last chapter on Sunday, so technically that was last week, so technically I can upload this for this week.


	7. Cold as Bone

_Frozen. Sharp. Sharp against his bones._

_Teeth rattle. Painful. Jaw aches. Can’t stop. Why?_

_Legs won’t move. Legs can’t move._

_Wind. So cold._

_Need to move._

_Need to get home._

_(“What’s a home?” “It’s somewhere people live.” “So is this our home?” “No. Never.”)_

_Joints ache, ice wriggling between bones._

_Claws feel raw, bleeding, bloody, nerves exposed._

_Frosty metal on his face._

_Frosty metal on his ribs._

_Trapped._

_Echoes._

_The world is blurry, a large white haze._

_Fuzzy._

_No life out here._

_Alone._

_Isolated._

_Abandoned._

_(“Sans?”)_

_Forgotten._

_Left._

_(“Brother?”)_

_Hated._

_Difficult._

_Handful._

_Self-centred._

_Pest._

_“Love you too bro”_

_Dark._

_Dark._

_DarkdarkdarkdarkDaRkdArkDArKdaRKDaRKDARkDARKDARKDARKDARK-_

_Light_

_Air_

_Moving_

_Heat_

_Heat?_

_Weight on shoulders._

_Soft_

_Warm_

_Warm and light and soft and-_

_Sleep._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not very good at the whole 'one chapter a week' thing am I?


	8. Little Brother

Sans had Papyrus on his sofa.

He sat on the floor, back against the wall.

Sans had Papyrus, unconscious, on his sofa.

He wrapped his arms around his knees.

Sans had Papyrus, who he had not seen in years, unconscious on his sofa.

“Hehe,” he put his chin on his legs, staring without seeing at the prone form.

This was his brother.

This mangled, filthy, scratch-covered _beast_ was his brother.

“Hehe…”

Malnourished, skinny, _far_ too small than he was meant to be, but his brother.

“O-oh god,” Tears slipped down San’s skull, soaking his arms, a wet sob filling the silence, “I did this.” He crawled a little closer, resting on his knees and gaping at Papyrus’ face. 

It was scarred with old cracks, faint from age, which twisted and snaked from the corner of his jaw to his eye socket. They must have taken forever to heal, and Sans could only imagine how aggravating they must have been, having been left to heal naturally without magic, feeling the bone slowly knit itself back together like a scab. 

Papyrus’ teeth were worn and dirty, with odd nicks and one fang unaligned with the others, pointing backwards into the mouth. Possibly from a hit. _Or_ , Sans thought in horror, _from his adult teeth growing in while Papyrus was in this form._ What the teeth looked like in their bipedal state he had no idea, and he was worried to find out.

Papyrus shifted a little and let out a small huff, his breath rickety and wheezy, ribs rattling with each intake of air. Sans eyes travelled down the rest of his brother’s body, and though it was covered by the blanket from his bed, he winced at the lump that was undoubtedly where Papyrus was holding his leg. While he yet to get a proper look at it (it felt wrong go poking about while his brother was out of it) he could easily see something was wrong, be it injury, infection, or deformation. Sans could also tell that Papyrus had lived with it for a very long time. The way it was held and kept so still, even when Sans had moved him inside using his magic, it was definitely something Papyrus was used to and knew how to live with.

“I did this…” Scrubbing at his face, Sans tried to wipe away the tears, sniffing loudly. He grits his teeth, frowning to himself and shaking his head to clear it. Standing, Sans moved quickly over to the kitchen to make coffee. Papyrus was not going to stir for quite a while, so it looked like Sans had a night vigil on his hands.

......

_“How dare you think you’re anything more than a-”_

Sans flew into a sitting position, eyes wide, breathing harsh and catching the back of his throat. His mug tumbled from his lap, hitting the floor and spilling cold coffee in a large, dark puddle. For a minute Sans just sat there, watching it, brain trying to catch up with what he was seeing. 

“Oh, woops.” He chose to ignore it for now and stretched, popping his bones into place, before shuffling over to Papyrus, who was still sprawled across the sofa having hardly moved from the previous night. He felt warmer than last night, Sans noted, which could only be a good thing after wandering Snowdin during a storm. 

Rubbing away an oncoming headache Sans got to his feet and moved upstairs, heading towards the bathroom to wash up a little. Having been more than a little distracted yesterday he had failed to do his teeth, and he could still taste the grease from his lunch. It was making him a little queasy. 

When done he leaves the bathroom, not bothering to turn out the light, and makes his way across the landing to the stairs.

There was a grunt. 

Then a whine.

The blanket moved on the sofa, lifting up and then sliding off onto the floor as Papyrus shakily stood on uneasy legs, head low, clearly still dazed from sleep.

Sans gripped the banister at the top of the stairs, unable to move, barely breathing. 

Papyrus rubbed at his eyes with a claw, grumbling, before finally looking around. Slowly his tail rose, and if he had fur Sans was sure it would begin to prickle. His brother took an awkward step backwards, wobbling a bit on the sofa, and began to sniff around, every move careful and calculated. 

The floorboard beneath Sans creaked.

Papyrus flew about fifty feet into the air, stumbling to land on all three legs and collapsing to the floor. Orange fire roared into life, engulfing his eyes as he spun wildly to face Sans, hunched and ready to defend, growling angrily.  
After a moment, the growl died away.

A few seconds later the magic calmed, dripping away into nothingness. 

The house was still. 

Neither brother seemed prepared to make the first move, just staring at one another, Sans gaping, his eyes wide and pained, while Papyrus’ face remained shocked, confused, lost, as if he had no idea what to expect next. 

Outside the snow trickled down, settling on the disturbed bin, covering footprints, tapping against the window. 

In the distance children could be heard playing, enjoying a day from school. 

The forest creaked in the breeze.

“I…” Sans’ voice died and he cleared his throat, “I’m just gonna come down the stairs, ok?” Papyrus gave no indication of hearing, watching sharply as he gradually made his way down, one step at a time, Sans watching for any signs of anger. One step from the bottom and he suddenly moved, making Sans freeze, holding the bannister as if his life depended on it as Papyrus shuffled back, head lowering, almost submissively. 

Sans put his both his hands up, trying to hide their shaking, and moved onto the ground floor, staying still as Papyrus cocked his head at him.

“It’s ok,” He said, as gently as he could ( _what have I done to him?_ ), “I’m not moving anywhere else.” ( _I’m not going anywhere._ )

Things quietened again, Papyrus’ body relaxing a fraction as he shifted on his feet, as if thinking the situation over and his next move. Sans kept to his word and stayed where he was, neither encouraging nor pushing away his brother. It was the least he could do. 

Papyrus took a step closer, then flinched back violently, like he’d been expecting Sans to turn violent the moment he got near. When nothing happened, he tentatively took another, reaching forward a little to smell the air around Sans. The tip of his tail twitched and he made a low, uneasy whine. 

“Papyrus…” Was all Sans could say, and the creature’s head lifted, blinking at him. Then another step, followed by two more until he stood directly in front of Sans, within touching distance, eyes exploring Sans face, taking in every detail. His brother began to shake. Sans grew worried.

“Pa-” A head was shoved into Sans chest, facing downwards and resting there while Papyrus continued to shake, a whimper escaping his throat. After a moment Sans could feel his t-shirt getting damp, and he carefully lowered his hands.

“Oh Papyrus,” Softly placing his arms around the skull, he held into his baby brother, for the first time in thirteen years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter for the week.


	9. Shape Shifter

They sat there at the bottom of the stairs, simply drinking in each other’s presence. Sans had his legs out in front of him, Papyrus curled across his lap, head resting in the crook of his arm and trilling. Neither wanted to move, neither wanted to break the comfortable silence, neither wanted to address the elephant in the room. 

However, after a while, Sans noticed Papyrus was getting cold again. He gently nudged his brother.

“Hey, why don’t we move back to the sofa?” Blinking tiredly, Papyrus gazed up at him, processing what had been said before eventually climbing to his feet. As he walked behind his brother, Sans tried to get a better look at the bad leg, jumping when Papyrus turned and almost accusingly looked at him. 

“Sorry, sorry,” He picked up the blanket from the floor and fiddled with it, not meeting Papyrus’ eye, “Just…Does it hurt badly?”

Papyrus’ face softened, and waved his head from side to side and barked. Sans watched him, swallowing before giving a little lopsided grin.

“Heh, you know, Papyrus, I can’t really understand you like this…” Papyrus gave no reaction, “Are you…Do you…Wanna turn into your other form?” Sans was in no place to be pushing his brother’s boundaries, and the question got quieter as he said it, though Papyrus still heard him, sitting down and cocking his head to the side. 

“W-what does that mean?” _Don’t get mad at me._

Papyrus gave an annoyed huff and yipped, frowning when Sans stared blankly. 

“Err, ok, why don’t we try one bark for yes, and two for no?” Sans sat on the sofa, Papyrus joining him. They were both able to fit, almost perfectly, and once again Sans was reminded of how small and malnourished Papyrus was in this form.

Bark!

“Heh, ok…Umm, so you know that have a bipedal form?”

Bark!

“And that this is our other one?”

A slightly grumbly bark, Papyrus probably adding a comment that went straight over Sans’ head. He continued.

“Have you been in this form long?” He deliberately ignored the faded cracks the skull, the unaligned tooth, the leg.

Bark! Followed by eager head nodding.

_Oh god Papyrus, I’m so sorry._

“Ok, ok, right…” Sans gulped, “And you know how to turn back?”

Two sharp barks and a whine, Papyrus nudging him as he went solid, magic and anger punching his stomach. 

“W-what?”

Papyrus peered at him, confused, and repeated his two barks slowly.

“You…You’ve been in this form for a long time…” Fast head nodding again, “A _very_ long time?” A single bark and more nodding, “B-but you don’t know how to turn back?” Two barks and a shaking of the head. Sans gawked at him, hands wanting to gather his baby brother and never let go, tears threatening to spill.

“Papyrus, I…I’m so sorry.”

Papyrus said nothing. His face was still.

“I-I should have been there, I should have…” His breathing began to pitch, air scraping against his throat and failing to reach his lungs. Papyrus sat up and nuzzled his face, trilling softly. “Are you stuck? Like this?” Sans felt his soul drop as Papyrus barked quietly once, not quite meeting his eye.

_I’m a horrible person._

_I’m a horrible brother._

_How could I do this to him?_

_My own bones and blood?_

_“Subject S! You are no more than-”_

“Do you,” Sans started after a moment, shutting away his thoughts, burying them deep within his mind. He was not the one to be focusing on right now. “Do you want me to teach you how to shift back?”

Papyrus went stiff, turning away and studying the floor, eyes drifting to the patch of coffee Sans had spilt earlier that morning. God, had it only been this morning? It felt like a world away to Sans, and suddenly he began to reconsider his offer. They had only just reunited; they barely knew each other. The best effort Sans could give at describing his brother would be from when Papyrus was five, not this eighteen year old scarred by the world.

_Eighteen years old. My baby brother is eighteen years old._

“Hey, you don’t have too, if you don’t want to,” He rested his hand on Papyrus’ spine, “Just…The offers there, if you need it,” He thought for a moment, and then added, “And you can always turn back if you decide you don’t like it-”

Bark!

“Y-yes?” Papyrus stood and jumped down from the sofa, his coordination much better than it had been previously, and looked expectantly at him. “You mean you want to change back? Like, _now_?”

Bark!

“R-right, ok then, err…” Sans glanced around, snatching up the blanket and standing up, “You might want to lay on the couch, and you could bite onto this,” He folded over the corner twice, glancing at Papyrus, “This is probably going to hurt, ok? If you’ve been like this for a while, then the bones will probably protest shifting…” He fiddled with the corner nervously as Papyrus lay out against the back of the sofa, “A-are you sure you still want to do this, don’t forget your leg’s gonna shift too…”

Papyrus twisted his head round to face his leg, thinking for a moment, before turning back and barking once, determined.

“If…If you’re sure,” Offering the corner, Papyrus took it into his mouth as Sans knelt down by the sofa arm, “Right, ok, so, can you focus in on your soul?” Papyrus nodded, closing his eyes and scrunching his face a little. A second later Sans felt the magic humming. 

“Good, so now I need you to concentrate really hard. Take your soul and imagine yourself like me, bipedal, a rounder skull, no tail.” The magic flared as orange began to engulf Papyrus, following Sans’ instructions. “You’re doing great, keep pushing that idea, force it into your soul, and tell it that this is the correct form. You’ve had it before and you’ll have it now-”

A scream ripped through Papyrus, muffled only slightly by the blanket, as a terrible, gut-wrenching cracking sound took over his body, and the whole of his brother’s form jolted, bones gradually beginning to move out of the positions they had been in for years, dislocating and fracturing.

“Keep going, you got this!” _Papyrus I’m so sorry, I’m a bad brother, I did this to you, I’m sorry, so sorry, _“Keep pushing it!”__

__There was a thunderous snap and Papyrus convulsed as his bad leg was forced from its curled position, stretching out and twisting. For a moment Sans watched it, eyes black and wide, as the crumpled, withered bone ( _deformed, useless, worthless_ ) split and popped, lengthening out into a bipedal leg._ _

__A terrified whimper caught his attention and he snapped back to Papyrus’ head, now without a snout and slowly morphing into something more like his own, if a lot more narrow. Tears were slipping from Papyrus’ confused eyes ( _so lost so alone so frightened_ ), and for a second Sans saw the child that had followed him around, that had clung to him after a nightmare, that hurt from hunger, that grinned and told him that they were gonna be ok ( _my little optimist_ ). Papyrus’ hand was now formed, and with a feather’s touch Sans took it, holding it, cradling it._ _

__“Shhh, you’re ok, you’re nearly there,” The tail was shrinking back into the straightening spine, “You’re nearly there.”_ _

__There was a crackle, a click, and a final shudder, and it was done._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter. I would say 'enjoy!' but for some reason that feels a little...inappropriate.
> 
> For some reason I can't get the '(so lost so alone so frightened)' and the '(my little optimist)' to go into italics (despite it working everywhere else in the chapter), but they are meant to be.


	10. Aftermath

The house was silent, uneasy, watching the two figures huddled in the living room. One was haphazardly spread across the sofa, rigid and wheezing, and the other knelt beside them, holding their hand and whispering calming words.

Sans could see that Papyrus wasn’t really with him at the moment, his eyes disorientated and lacking any kind of spark. The slight whistle had returned in his lungs too, rattling his ribs as he breathed. Like before, Papyrus was still covered in filth, but now a sheen of sweat coated him, which glistened and highlighted the knocks, dents, and marks that were scattered over his bones. His body was long (probably taller than himself) and scrawny, some bones thinner than Sans knew to be healthy, and just by holding Papyrus’ hand he could tell that his brother had very little grip due to – months? Years? – of disuse. The shift seemed to have aggravated the cracks on his skull as well, which were now deeper and noticeable, though thankfully the unaligned tooth had straightened a touch and was more in sync with the others. Papyrus’ teeth were still worn and dirty, however, and it would take a while for them to look fully normal.

“Nyyeh?” Papyrus moved, blinking unfocused eyes rapidly and peering around, finally focusing in on his brother.

“Take it easy, ok?” Sans rubbed the younger’s skull, “I’m sure everything hurts right now, just try to relax.”

He hadn’t been there for his brother before, damn straight he was gonna be there now.

Papyrus lent back into the sofa, shuffling a little in an attempt to relax, and watched him with drooping eyes. Within minutes Papyrus was asleep, exhaustion whisking him away.

……

This was turning out to be a really odd day, Papyrus decided when he woke later, finding Sans propped up against a low table, sleeping. 

His brother.

His _brother._

His “ _Love you too bro_ ” brother.

Asleep right in front of him, after who knew how long. 

Papyrus stared around.

He was in his brother’s _house._

Under a _roof._

He was _warm._

And not too long ago, he had shifted into a bipedal form, a form he had not used in _years._

He moved a little, forcing aching joints to bring up his hands out of the blanket that covered him ( _had that been there before?_ ), holding them before his face. They were so strange, so long and weird, nothing like the claws he was used to. There were no spikes, no sharp edges, just thin and grubby fingers. He attempted to move one but found his muscles ( _did skeletons have muscles?_ ) weak and pathetic, barely able to bend, and Papyrus doubted that he would be able to hold anything right now. He quietly hoped he would be able to work them soon, and just needed time to get used to them.

Gritting his teeth tightly, Papyrus slowly lifted his back of the couch, his spine protesting and cracking as he sat up, shaking a little with the effort and forcing him to lean sideways against the back of the sofa. Letting out a weak breath, he slowly began to maneuver the blanket off his legs, unexperienced and limp hands fumbling and patting at the material until eventually he managed to bundle it up around his waist. 

Papyrus blinked.

His legs were…

He was gonna be _so tall!_

Or at least taller than he had ever experienced, even when on hind legs. 

Slowly his gaze drifted to his injured leg, wincing badly when he finally saw it. When in his other form, he had never really got the chance to fully examine it, only knowing that to move it hurt like hell. Now he leaned closer, running his fingers along it and flinching. The fibula, while still attached in all the right places, twisted right around in the middle like a twirl in a monster candy cane, causing the bone to become weak and brittle. Even just looking at it felt painful. The bone itself was washed out and unhealthy, probably from years tucked in one position, and it stood out against the others despite being covered in muck. In his beast form he had been unable to walk on it at all, and he prayed he could in this one; otherwise he would have only one functioning leg.

“Oh, you’re up.” Following the sound Papyrus found Sans watching him, an unreadable expression on his face and fiddling with the hem of is t-shirt.

“Sssssns,” He slurred poorly against closed teeth, suddenly realising how weird his mouth felt. He lifted a hand to his jaw, clumsily feeling around. Huh, his tooth was straighter than before, cool. 

“Do you want some water?” Sans offered, getting to his feet and shoving his hands into his pockets, as if unsure what to do with them otherwise. Hindered from properly talking Papyrus simply nodded, watching Sans vanish into another room he hadn’t noticed before. 

He wasn’t sure how he felt about this brother, yet.

Of course he felt happiness, relief, joy, at being reunited, at finding his family member once again. But he couldn’t help feeling lost, confused, and even uncomfortable. He had intruded into Sans’ life, after Sans deliberately left his – Was he wanted here? Sans seemed pleased enough to see him, but still…

Papyrus looked around, and swallowed, unable to deny there was another emotion tossed in there.

Sans had a house, and a roof, and a sofa, and a blanket. 

Sans had an upstairs, and windows, and a door which would be locked.

Papyrus felt jealousy. 

Jealousy that Sans was able to sleep and not fear attack.

Jealousy that Sans didn’t have to worry about the cold or the damp.

Jealousy that he could obviously _afford_ things like this.

And what had Papyrus ever achieved in his life?

_You drove your brother away_ , his mind whispered, _he couldn’t control you anymore. You twisted his hand, forcing him to do it._

Papyrus felt himself agreeing.

( _White, coat, hands, disappointment, not as good as-_ )

Sans reappeared, a glass in hand. 

“I’m not sure you will be able to hold this,” Sans sat next to him, “And I couldn’t find any straws, so should I…?” Papyrus nodded, shuffling a little on the sofa so he was next to Sans, sat back heavily against the couch and feet on the floor (his bones didn’t like that, but he ignored them for now. _He’d had worse_ , he told himself) Raising the glass, Sans carefully helped Papyrus drink.

“Small sips,” He instructed, “We don’t wanna overdo it.” He drank about half the glass before turning anyway, Sans putting the drink down on the table. Papyrus tried to thank him, but the best he could manage was a strangled dog-like whine. Sans frowned at him, concern etched into his features. It made Papyrus feel odd.

“You’re voice is probably going to be hoarse for a while.” 

He nodded, running a hand along his neck and sighing. Sans began to fidget next to him, not quite looking at him, not quite looking away. Papyrus could see his toes scrunching up inside his slippers as his feet dangled over the edge of the couch. Eventually Sans seemed to muster up some courage.

“So…How’s the leg?” Unable to answer Papyrus just held it up, Sans’ mouth falling open as he moved from the sofa without thinking, falling to his knees and holding out his hands, “Can I?” Papyrus nodded and his brother carefully touched his limb, running his fingers along the withered bone. Papyrus bit back a wince, biting down hard to hide his pain and remaining rigid. Sans didn’t seem to notice, too preoccupied with what he was seeing, tears building in his eye sockets and spilling down his cheeks. 

“Papyrus, I’m so sorry…” He sobbed, breaking down and hiccupping. Papyrus sat there, startled, and lowered his limb, staring as Sans quickly became a complete mess. He wanted to take him into his arms and hold him, but he wondered if that would be taken the wrong way when he could not communicate, when his actions of comfort to calm his brother down could lead to his brother thinking that Papyrus didn’t care about all that, that it was behind him, that he could leave it behind. 

_Do I forgive you?_

He looked at the house, the door, the sofa.

The blanket, the windows, the stairs.

Papyrus settled for placing a limp hand on Sans head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still can't get those two phrases into italics in the previous chapter, and it's really bugging me.


	11. A Little Boot and Red Scarf

Thing fell into an awkward routine after that, Papyrus unable to properly tell Sans his feelings, while Sans tried to take care of his brother as best as he could, knowing that Papyrus had not forgiven him. While the younger did care for him, at least on a basic ‘we’re family’ sort of way, Papyrus was clearly not used to having a face that could emote, and on several occasions Sans saw the looks he gave the house, his body, his leg, and him when Papyrus thought he was not watching. 

Sans could hardly blame him, though.

He could also tell that Papyrus was being quite reserved. At first he wondered if it was simple lack of energy, but after a while, as he began to heal, Sans could just feel that his brother was withholding himself, conducting himself in a manor he thought was best, and not showing his real personality, as if he didn’t know how Sans would react, or even if he was allowed.

( _“I don’t want to hear a word out of either of you, and if I do…”_ )

He was. Of course he was. 

( _“I, the Great Papyrus, have defeated the evil snow-humans of doom!”_ )

Still, they worked through it, Sans helping Papyrus rediscover his voice, working with him through each syllable until eventually he was able to string some sloppy words together. Sans insisted that listening to the language would help, and often had the TV on during the day, which fascinated his brother greatly. 

Luckily, after a few days and some decent meals ( _ok, that quiche had been more than a little weird, but the soup turned out alright…Ish_ ), Papyrus managed to get most of his strength back, and soon his hands were able to grip fairly decently, though anything heavier than a loaded plate of food and he couldn’t manage. But they were getting there. 

They were also extremely lucky with the fact that Papyrus could walk on his bad leg, though he had a very noticeable heavy limp and sometimes had to prop himself up. Still, it was better than nothing, and Sans could tell that his brother was relieved.

It was five days after Sans had discovered his brother passed out in his bin, and he was currently digging through his room trying to find some clothes that would fit Papyrus. His brother had expressed an interest in washing the dirt off his bones and so, after they both had climbed the stairs, Sans supporting him the entire way, he had shown Papyrus to the bathroom, sitting him on the closed lid of the toilet and fiddling with the knobs until he found a temperature his brother would find comfortable. They had agreed on leaving the door open, so Papyrus could call out if he needed to, and after giving him a clean towel Sans left him to it. 

The problem with his brother was he was so ( _unfairly_ ) tall, and any shirts that Sans owned only went as far as the bottom of his ribs, which did very little to conserve heat. It was even worse with trousers, as any that Sans owned were shorts to his brother. They were going to have to clothes shopping soon, though what Papyrus could go clothes shopping _in_ he had no idea.

His elbow hit a hard object, buried under the piles of laundry that he had failed to wash ( _honestly, Papyrus had been lucky to have a clean towel_ ), and he paused. There was a small brown box with a lid, something Sans had not looked at in years. Mouth going dry he picked it up, running a thumb over the old cardboard. 

Clicking his teeth, he walked over to the bed and sat down on the nicely made sheets. Once strong enough to walk, he had insisted that Papyrus took the bed, Sans himself sleeping on the sofa. He’d been surprised how careful Papyrus had been, doing his best to stop the sheets messing up, and making it again every morning. He didn’t need to, and Sans told him so, but Papyrus continued and Sans wasn’t going to stop him.

Slowly he lifted the lid, placing it down on the bed. Inside, neatly folded up, was a little red blanket, more of a scarf than anything, with one small boot, Waterfall mud slapped across it. Sans picked it up, holding it in one hand. 

There was a knock on the door, and Sans glanced up to see Papyrus propping himself against the bedroom doorframe, holding the towel carefully in his other hand, as if scared he would break it. His bones looked better now they were cleaned, Sans noted, though it made him look paler.

“Come in, Papyrus,” Sans shimmied up the bed a little, allowing the younger to limp across the room and sit down next to him, eyes on the small boot. Papyrus stared at it for a while, frowning. Eventually he pointed at it.

“Rrrremember thatt,” Taking it from his brother and turning it over in his hands, “Fell off…”

“Yeah, I found it at the bottom of the river,” Sans picked up the scarf, “And this not too far away, it gave me one hell of a heart attack.” Papyrus blinked at him, silently asking him to elaborate. Sans shrugged, keeping his gaze down. “I mean, this was in tatters, and your boot was at the bottom of the water, what was I supposed to think?”

( _“Papyrus! Papyrus where are you? Please!”_ )

“Wwere lookking?” Papyrus was watching him, a dazed expression on his face.

“Yeah, I was,” Sans sighed, “We don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want, I know it’s awkward and I don’t expect-”

“Yess,” Papyrus interrupted, nodding, “Need to.”

“O-ok, well,” Sans fiddled with the scarf, swallowing, “In all honesty, I had been a mess Papyrus, we were homeless, we were kids, and before that we…Um, we were, err…”

“Lab,” His brother said quietly, looking down. Sans snapped round to him.

“Y-you remember?” Papyrus nodded, “What…What exactly do you remember?” There was a pause, Papyrus thinking for a moment.

“Feelings,” He finally said, voice quiet, “Lottts of wh…Whe?” Papyrus growled, struggling with the word. He huffed, “Lotts of this colour,” He indicated to his bone and Sans nodded in understanding, letting Papyrus continue. “Smmelled odd, someone shouting…”

“Yeah, sounds about right,” Sans leant back, “But only feelings, you can’t remember actual specifics? Like, an event that happened?”

“No, jussst hands annd wh…” Papyrus rolled his eyes and pointed to his bone again.

“Hmm,” Sans lifted a hand, tapping his skull, “Well, I remember what happened, and who was there, and what they did, and having all that…Unpleasantness within a ten year old kids mind weren’t fun. Like I said, I was a mess.”

“Annd now?”

“Better, not, you know, the model of health, but better than before,” Sans stared down at the scarf, “You probably don’t remember much from when we were homeless, and I tried to hide it, but after a while reality became a bit…Blurred, for me, I kept seeing things, hearing things, occasionally still do. Hey, don’t give me that look!” Papyrus had a horrified expression on his face, his mouth slightly agape, “It’s nowhere near as bad, honestly, it’s only on rare occasions now!”

“Tttell me, if itt happens,” Papyrus looked like he wanted to hug him, but didn’t, “Ok?” 

“Err, yeah, sure,” Sans continued his story, “Anyway, a month before I left you got sick, like _really_ sick, and I nearly lost you. I’m still not sure how you pulled through…” He trailed off for a moment, pondering it over before shaking his head. “But you got better and I felt I couldn’t look after you anymore, I was all over the place, not in the best of minds. I had been so sure that Gerson, the old turtle, would take you in. I had been watching that spot for months, watching him walk by every day, I even made sure that he saw you sometimes at a distance, making it seem like you were on your own. And after I had left you, I came back the next day and sure enough you weren’t there and Gerson didn’t come by. I thought he had you…”

Sans trailed off, eyes watering as he rubbed the material of the scarf. Papyrus put a hand on his shoulder.

“A while later I met Alphys when I was wandering those labs we remember. I don’t know why, but I thought going back would help. She was really nice, after a while began to help me figure things out, working out what was real and what my mind was making up. Then, when she started working to become a Royal Scientist, she made me her temporary assistant until she got the job, and that _really_ helped. I suddenly had an income, and I could afford decent food, and then a few months later could buy this place. Undyne made me a sentry after that, so I could work nearby. Alphys probably put in a good word for me. I tried to find you after that…”

At some point Papyrus had leaned onto him, and was now resting his head on Sans’. 

“I went straight to Gerson, but quickly realised that he had never had you, and I panicked. I searched everywhere, I asked everyone, but no one had seen or heard a little skeleton running around. And then I found these, and I thought you’d _died_ , I thought you had an accident and fell into the river and drowned…I…” He blinked heavily and moved on, “But then I ran into these teens, and they told me they had seen you, and that they had attacked you, and that the boot and scarf came off as you were running away…They had a bad time after that.”

“I rrremember…” Papyrus sat up and lifted his bad leg, “Theyy brroke the bone…”

“What?” Sans gasped, “They did that?” Papyrus nodded and held up the boot. 

“Fell off jusst before tthey hit mee, and hit bone insteadd…Accident…”

“They attacked a _five year old_ , that’s no accident!” His brother shrugged.

“And thenn shifted into dddog, and I thinkk the bone triedd to heal, twist…Twist…Twist _ing_ in the processs.”

“They…” A tear fell down Sans cheek, “And is that when you got stuck in the other form?” Papyrus nodded, “You were like that for thirteen years? And they…They caused all that…All this…”

“Accident…”

“They seemed pretty pleased about it to me!” Sans snapped before holding out his hands as Papyrus jumped, “Oh, hey, sorry I’m not mad at you…Just…” He let out a shaky breath, running a hand over his face, “It just _rattled my bones_ …” 

Papyrus went rigid, turning to glare at him.

“Wwhat?” 

Sans blinked, before a smirk slowly appeared. 

( _“Sans, nooo! No more!”_ )

“Hey, pretty humerus, right?” Papyrus stuck a hand in Sans’ face, gently pushing him.

“Nnnoooooooo!”

“Aw come on, surely that tickled your _funny bone_!”

“Ssssannns!” Now Papyrus covered his own face with his hands, boot now on the floor.

“I know you wanna laugh; I can _feel it in my bones_!”

Papyrus dramatically flopped across the bed, his face planted into the pillow and groaning. Sans laughed hard, toppling off the bed and onto the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All aboard the feels train, woo woo!
> 
> I'm having a really hard time writing chapter 19 (I don't know why, but I am), and somehow figured that uploading a chapter would help. Dunno, but here you go.


	12. A Door Between Us

While the ice between them was not necessarily broken, it had at least begun to be chipped away, if a little slowly. Papyrus couldn’t deny that he didn’t feel… _Something_ towards his brother. Not quite jealousy anymore, certainly not hatred, but there was still an annoying niggle in the back of his skull that he couldn’t place. Uncertainty maybe, because at the moment he had no idea where he was living, despite Sans making no move to kick him out. A tiny part of him still expected it, and Papyrus hated himself for that, but it was undeniably there. 

He also felt uncomfortable about the food arrangements, which consisted of Sans providing and him eating. Papyrus didn’t like that at all. It made him feel like he owed Sans, like he was to be in debt to him, that at any moment this could all turn on its head and Sans could demand a payment when Papyrus had never had an income in his life. Of course, his brother would never do that. 

Sans wouldn’t.

_“Subject P, in return you must give me-”_

He wouldn’t.

He wouldn’t.

He wouldn’t he wouldn’t he wouldn’t he wouldn’t HE WOULDN’T-

_Keep calm keep calm keep calm keep calm_

_“Subject P, I am waiting.”_

_What could he give? He had nothing._

_He had nothing._

_Nothing._

_Nothing._

_Nothing._

_Nothing._

_Worthless._

_Handful._

_Useless._

_Small._

_Stupid._

_Pointless._

_“How about you take Subject S’ place today?”_

_Ineffective._

_Unable._

_Failure._

_Inadequate._

_Limited._

_“Disappointing, Subject P.”_

“Calm down, you’re ok!” 

Papyrus bolted upright, wheezing heavy breaths, his ribs aching, his bones shaking, and a familiar orange coating his body. A hand was on his shoulder, and with hazy eyes he peered up at his brother, who hovered over him, an unreadable expression on his face. 

“That was one hell of a nightmare,” Sans said, hand not moving from its place, “You ok now?” Swallowing, Papyrus quickly depleted his magic, fiddling with the blanket.

“Sorry I woke you.” Sans waved his free hand.

“Nah, awake anyway.”

“Oh.”

There was a silence. 

“Do you want to go back to sleep?” Papyrus shook his head, not making eye contact. “Ok, cool, how about you read for a little bit?” Sans had found out that Papyrus couldn’t read a few days ago, and had proceeded to go out and buy a load of easy to read children's books.

_Another debt._

“No, not right now.”

Another pause.

Sans studied him.

“Ok, you lay down right there, and I’ll be back in a moment.” The hand left his shoulder and Sans vanished, appearing moments later with something in his hands. “Go on, lay down.” Following the command Papyrus watched as his brother sat down by his legs, opening the book in his hand.

“Fluffy bunny had a mummy and a daddy…”

……

It was breakfast the following morning, and Papyrus was carefully eating the toast Sans had served – ‘Carefully’ because one wrong move and the charcoal would break off his teeth. Sans sat opposite him at the table, a cup of coffee in one hand and a phone in the other, which he was rapidly typing away on. He looked tired, probably after Papyrus had disturbed him during the night. He had tried to apologise earlier, feeling guilty than Sans had been forced to read to him like a baby bones to fall asleep. Sans told him it was no hassle.

It was, Papyrus could feel it.

“Err,” Sans started, slipping his phone into his pocket, “Looks like I’m gonna have to go out for a while, probably the day…” He thought for a moment, “Yeah, actually, definitely the day.”

“Ok,” Papyrus didn’t pry, it wasn’t his place. Sans gulped down his coffee.

“I’m gonna have to go, like, now, will you be ok on your own?”

“Of course.”

“Right, help yourself to anything,” He tugged on his jacket; “Stay here and I’ll be back, alright?”

“Ok.”

“Bye,” Sans called as he practically ran out the door. The house fell quiet. The snow began drifting down outside. The toast lay forgotten on Papyrus’ plate as he began to hug himself tightly, hands taking on a slight tremor. 

_It’s ok_ , he told himself.

 _You’re overreacting_ , he told himself.

 _Stop it_ , he told himself.

“I can’t,” Papyrus whispered. 

The house was silent. The snow began to get heavier. The toast went cold. 

“I can’t,” Papyrus whispered.

_“Can’t…I come?”_

“I can’t,” Papyrus whispered.

_“Please? For me? Can’t you just wait here?”_

“I can’t,” Papyrus whispered.

_“Ok, see you later brother! Love you!”_

“I can’t,” Papyrus whispered.

_“Love you too bro.”_

The house was warping, his bones were shaking, his breathing was weak.

“Come back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who finished the final chapter today! I won't say the chapter number, as I might write one or two epilogues yet.


	13. From Cold to Hot

The house was dead. The snow began to whip. The toast was as cold as stone. 

Papyrus sat at the kitchen table, numb, confused, panicking, the world around his distorted and lost. He was alone. Sans had left. But he was coming back. He was. He really was. 

Papyrus stood up.

Papyrus took the coat that was too short at the sleeves.

Papyrus put on the shoes a size too small.

Papyrus left the house.

He was just checking, that was all, just going to see where Sans was heading, and then watch him as he came back. He said he would, so he would. Papyrus was just checking. 

It was easy to follow the deep footsteps left by Sans, and he walked as fast as his leg would allow to catch up. So he could see him coming back. The snow was getting pretty deep and Papyrus realised that it had been a while since he’s been outside, and it felt odd to have cold on his bones again. He had got so used to being inside, in the warm and the safe, that he’d forgotten how cruel the weather was out here.

_Not like Sans would understand-_

“Shut up.”

The footsteps took him to Waterfall, were the trail vanished into the wet ground. Papyrus tries not to panic too much about this, after all, this is his territory, his patch; he could walk through here blindfolded and come out the other side without an ounce of water on him. 

After a half an hours search, he was able to determine that Sans went straight through to Hotland.

Papyrus actively ignores the echo flower.

_He’s coming back, it’s fine._

He approaches Hotland, and has to take a moment to just breathe. His hands are still shaking, and he holds them, trying to stop the tremor, taking long gulps of air. It works, a little, though his heart is still pounding in his chest. Papyrus swallowed, staring at fiery landscape.

He had only been there once, in a search of food, but had managed to get majorly lost in the process and had ended up wandering around for hours, tired and hungry. If he got lost now, it would only be if ( _when_ , he corrected) Sans got home and found him missing, and then figured to look in Hotland, he would be rescued from its maze. 

_“I’m gonna be gone for a little while.”_

_“Ok, see you later brother! Love you!”_

Papyrus walked in. A couple of seconds ticked by before he took off the coat. A minute after that he realised he was still in his pyjamas and put it back on, keeping close to the side of the path, head down, trying to be as unnoticed as possible. It was hard, considering that he was a skeleton, something people didn’t often see, and he could feel the whispers following him like shadows. 

A whole hour went by, then another, and soon Papyrus realised his fear had come true. He was lost. 

......

Sans wasn’t a fan of Hotland. For some reason, he had never _warmed up_ to this place. He found it tiring and uncomfortable, and actively tried to avoid it when necessary. If it wasn’t for the labs, Sans would never come here, and instead stay in his nice, cool Snowdin. 

His phone buzzed, and he opened up the text.

**YOU HAVE 5 MINUTES TO GET HERE – UNDYNE**

Sans gulped and teleported, getting as close as he could to the labs. He would probably be there by now, if he had taken the ferry, but for some reason he felt like postponing his little “chat” with Undyne. He preferably would like to keep his life, especially when he had important things to do now, like caring for Papyrus. 

Papyrus.

That nightmare had certainly shaken him, and Sans could tell at breakfast that it was still weighing heavily on his brother’s mind. It worried him. Papyrus was scarred already, last thing he needed was to be haunted when he was at his most venerable. Ideally Sans would have liked to have talked about it, encourage him to open up a little more, to show that he was there, but, again, Undyne. Someone once said that ‘ _hell has no fury than a woman scorned_ ’, and Sans had done just that, abandoning his post for days on end. She was furious.

Sans hopes she’ll understand. He needs the income, especially now. 

Speak of the devil, she was standing outside the labs, arms crossed, a volcanic expression on her face.

“Hey,” Sans said.

“You,” Undyne growled.

“Me?”

“In. Now.”

“Well I guessed we wouldn’t be chatting out here-”

“Now!” Undyne grabbed his jacket, yanking him through the doors, “Alphys is the only reason why I haven’t fired you.”

……

“Hey.”

Papyrus jumped, widely looking around at the familiar voice. Had he been caught?

“You.” Someone replied, a voice he vaguely recognised from somewhere.

“Me?” That was Sans, Papyrus was sure of it. Keeping himself hidden, he peered around the corner frowning at the two figures that stood in front of a tall, impressive looking building.

( _“Keep running! Don’t look back!”_ )

“In. Now.” The taller person, the blue person from Waterfall, moved closer to his brother.

“Well I guessed we wouldn’t be chatting out here-” Sans was roughly grabbed and hauled forward into the building.

“Now!” Blue snapped, “Alphys is the only reason why I haven’t fired you.” They vanished, the doors sliding shut behind them. Papyrus took a deep breath. Now what?

He stood up straighter, and fiddled with the too-short sleeves of the coat.

_I mean, it ok now_ , he thought, _She said about being fired, so it’s work or something. He’s coming back._

_Are you sure?_ A voice whispered in the back of his head.

_Yes_ , he replied, swallowing.

_Sure you’re sure?_

_Y-yes._

_You don’t sound sure._

“Shut up,” Papyrus snapped, resisting the urge to stamp his foot. Of course he was sure, that was silly. His brother had to leave to do something for work, and he would come back in the evening. Just like all the other monsters Papyrus had seen walking through Waterfall. They came back, and Sans would come back.

_“We’re we going? Brother?”_

“He’s coming back,” Papyrus said to no one, “He’s coming back…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second chapter of this week. Things are really HEATING up now, eh? Eh?
> 
>  
> 
> Sorry.


	14. Labyrinth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mentions of Sans and Papyrus childhood in the labs, and some things what were done to them. This warning continues for several chapters.

The elevator ride was long with an awkward whirring noise. Papyrus shuffled on his feet, anxious as to where he was going. Down, possibly, or was it up? He wasn’t sure. The large building did have many floors, so it could be up, but then again it might have a basement. He was meant to be following Sans, but he missed which floor they were heading to, so had just pressed any button and hoped for the best. Papyrus began to wonder if he should have just waited outside.

_“Stay here and I’ll be back, alright?”_

The whirring slowed, and the lift came to a stop, the doors opening with a hiss. A cold, dark corridor stretched before him, lights snapping on as he took a step forward, the chilled air seeping into his bones. 

“W-what?”

There was a security lock hanging on the wall, and Papyrus’ attention was drawn to it. It was one of the ones that scanned hands to unlock, but half the screen was smashed and wires sprung about everywhere like flower petals. On the grey wall from which it hug were jagged, trailing marks, slashing desperately in every direction. They almost looked like claw marks. Papyrus swallowed, following one set which aligned with the shattered screen.

_“But brother! We need his hand!”_

_“No, we don’t.”_

_Suddenly they were in the lift, Papyrus’ head spinning and vision tunnelling._

_“Stay with me, don’t pass out.” Sans instructed._

Papyrus whimpered, backing up into the other wall of the corridor, hands fiddling with his coat.

“What is this…?” His body trembled, “Where am I?”

……

“Explain to me, us,” Undyne indicated to Alphys, who stood nervously in the corner of her workspace, “Why you have abandoned your post. In five words or less.”

“U-Undyne, give him a-a chance!”

“I trusted him!” Undyne countered, though her tone was a shade softer for Alphys, “I gave him the job on _your_ recommendation and he quits out on me!”

“Hey, don’t take it out on her,” Sans steps in as Alphys, his long term friend, shrinks back. Undyne immediately puts her hands up.

“I’m not angry with you, honestly,” She turns to Sans, “It’s you who needs to be speaking up, not Alphys. And you’ve yet to answer me.”

“It’s…Kinda a long story…” Sans struggles, “And _personal_ …” he pointedly looks at Alphys, whose eyes widen in understanding. 

“Personal? What are you-”

“Undyne,” Alphys places a hand on the guard’s arm, “Can y-you give us some space?” Undyne blinks, looking back and forth between them in confusion.

“But-”

“Please?” Alphys asks softly, “J-just for a little w-while, I’ll explain l-later.” Undyne visibly grinds her teeth, hands clenching and unclenching, before stiffly nodding and leaving the room. Alphys stares worriedly at the door, but sighs and gives a small smile to Sans.

“Sorry,” he says, and he feels genuinely guilty, “I didn’t mean to come between you.” She waves him off.

“N-no, no, you h-haven’t,” She pulls over two computer chairs, “Shall we?”

……

The elevator closed behind Papyrus with a bang, and Papyrus jumps, his bones rattling terribly as he listens to it climbing the building without him, effectively trapping him on the floor, in this unknown hell.

“Right…Haha…Oh god, ok…” Slowly turning, he began to creep carefully down the corridor with the faint hope of finding some stairs to escape through. There must be stairs, there has to be. Maybe a fire escape or something. 

Further down from the broken security lock he comes across a window showing a large, grey room, and freezes. Inside is a table, long and thin and metal and cold, with thick, worn straps. A machine hangs limp from the ceiling, lifeless and rusty and dead. 

_“Subject S, remain still.”_

_Papyrus watches from his place in the corner, trembling in fear for his brother as the beam aligns with Sans’ eye. His brother is transfixed on it, barely blinking, his hands quaking beneath the restraints._

_“S-sir, please d-don’t-”_

_“Be quiet, Subject P, or you will both be punished.”_

_“It’s o-ok P-P-Paps…”_

_“Subject S, silence.”_

Papyrus stumbled away and staggers further down the corridor, hands travelling to his head, tears filling his eyes.

“T-this is wrong,” He mutters, feeling the panic bubbling in his chest, “I just feel stuff, I don’t remember…I’m not meant to remember…”

**DING!**

The elevator doors open and Papyrus flings himself into the nearest room before the doors can fully open, his whole body shaking, his eyes wide and brimming with unshed tears.

_Keep calm, you’re fine, keep calm_

“Stupid thing,” It’s the voice from before, Blue, “I pressed ground floor, not basement.” The doors close and the lift whirls into life once more, drifting off upwards. Gulping, Papyrus forces himself to take a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut as he does so. 

“You’re ok,” He whispers, “You’re ok…” He blinks, his hands nervously clinging onto the sleeves of the coat as he glances around the room.

A strangled cry leaves his throat.

His knees give way.

The world tunnels.

The walls vibrate around him.

And he screams.

_“Subject P.” Papyrus gasps as his head snaps round to fearfully stare at Sans. His brother quickly kneels before him._

_“Pap, you’ll be ok, I promise, just do everything he says-”_

_“Subject P, now.”_

_“S-Sans?”_

_“It’s ok,” Sans guides him to the door, “You’ll be ok…” The Scientist puts a hand heavily down on Papyrus’ small shoulder and forcefully pushes him out the room, locking it behind them. Sans instantly appears at the window._

_“Sans!”_

_“Silence.” A hand hits the back of his head._

_“You’ll be ok, Paps, you’ll be just fine!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry Papyrus...


	15. Orange Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning still applies.

_Papyrus fought weakly against the large hand on his shoulder, dragging his feet as he was pulled into the room. Machines beeped, the computer hummed, a half-finished coffee sat on the desk by some stray papers. He shivered, letting out a small wail._

_“Stop it.”_

_Whimpering, he gazed up at the table, far too high for him to climb, and the tools which had been laid out on a tray. They looked dangerous and scary, and while he recognised some from previous visits, many were new, with twisting metal and sharp, pointy ends._

_P-please.” Hands slid under his arms and lifted him onto the table, positioning him onto his back to attach the specially made straps; he was too little for the ones Sans used, his arms and legs couldn’t reach them._

_“Silence.” One of the new tools was picked up. It was round, with dagger-like parts poking out, and clicked when the Scientist turned it on. “Stay still.” It loomed above his eye, and Papyrus let his world dissolve into nothingness._

_Five hours later he was placed on the floor, head spinning and bones noticeably shaking. He stumbled heavily to one side, the cracked and bandaged eye socket disorientating his vision. A firm, uncaring hand pressed onto his shoulder, steering him out the room and down the corridor, ignoring his sniffling and the arm he brought up to wipe his nose._

_Papyrus couldn’t see if Sans was at the window, but he was waiting with open arms when he was shoved into the room._

_“Don’t touch the bandage.” The Scientist instructed, shutting and locking the door. They both listened, still as stone, as he walked down the corridor, Sans letting out a shaky sigh when the office door closed. He gently took Papyrus’ face into his hands._

_“Ok, ok let me see.” Softly tilting his chin upwards, his brother took in a sharp breath, and Papyrus could feel his fingers begin to tremble._

_“I-it’s fine…” He smiled, “It’s ok.”_

_“Paps…” Sans carefully pulled him onto his lap, rocking back and forth._

_“I’m ok brother, I’m ok.”_

_……_

_Sirens blared and the floor trembled. The lights had gone out long ago, and the brothers had settled down for an uneasy sleep. Sans had wrapped his arms tightly around Papyrus, cradling him close and slowly stroking his crania while Papyrus snuggled into his chest, letting his only eye droop as he listened to Sans’ breathing. Both had jumped at the alarm, and now stood by the window, looking out as workers dashed about, some shouting, some scared._

_“Brother?” Papyrus glanced up at Sans, turning to the older for an explanation._

_“I don’t know, Paps…” He rubbed Papyrus’ back, “I-” Sans froze as the Scientist sprinted pass the window, scanning his hand on the lock to their door. The brothers huddled close._

_“You two,” The Scientist said, sounding out of breath, “Out, now!” Not even bothering to shut the door behind them, the Scientist grabbed both by their gowns, dragging them harshly along._

_“S-Sir!” Another scientist Papyrus vaguely recognised ran up to them, “A fire’s started, it’s spreading this way!”_

_“What?”_

_“Some of the Guard’s knocked things over in the chemistry lab,” They quickly explained, “It’s started a fire! It’s-” A loud booming noise echoed from further down the corridor, and all of them darted backwards as red hot flames burst out into the corridor, roaring and screeching._

_“Oh my god!” The other scientist cried out._

_“Here!” Their Scientist dropped Sans and Papyrus and began to kick at a locked door, “We can’t go up, they’ll be waiting, but we’ll make our way down to the escape-” The fire reared closer, threatening to catch on the Scientists’ coat, “Help me!” The other quickly ran over, and together they both shouldered at the door in unison, desperation beginning to grow. Papyrus felt Sans take his hand._

_“This way,” He hissed, dragging Papyrus back down the corridor._

_“But Sans!” Papyrus glanced over his shoulder, “They’ll-”_

_“Be fine, so let’s go, ok?” They ran to the lift._

_“But brother! We need his hand!”_

_“No, we don’t.”_

_Suddenly they were in the lift, Papyrus’ head spinning and vision tunnelling._

_“Stay with me, don’t pass out.” Sans instructed._

_“W-what?” Putting a hand on his head, Papyrus willed away the nausea, “How did we…?” Sans wrapped an arm around him, bending so he was at his height._

_“A little trick I can do, only discovered it a week ago,” Sans scanned his body, “You ok? Did any of the flames hit you?” Papyrus shook his head, “Good, how’s the eye?”_

_“Hurts,” He answered weakly, feeling liquid bloom in his only good one. Sans shushed him, wiping away the stray tears._

_“Hey, it’ll be ok,” Sans pulled him into a hug, “I’m gonna need you to be brave for me, ok? As soon as these doors open, we’ll need to run, can you do that for me?” Papyrus nodded into his brother’s shoulder, “Good boy Paps.”_

_Sans was instantly on his feet when the doors dinged open, grabbing Papyrus’ hand and sprinting out. It was hot, a heat Papyrus had never felt before, and there were shadows everywhere. People ran about, some with weapons, some in armour, some with buckets of water, like the ants the Scientist had kept for a while._

_“Hey, kids!” A voice cried above the excitement, “Wait!”_

_Sans yanked him forward, weaving them around and through the crowds, dodging attacks and people, making sure Papyrus kept on his feet. At one point they went from suddenly being blocked off by a woman in armour to running along the path she had blocked, within seconds, and Papyrus felt his head going heavy once again._

_“Keep running! Don’t look back!” Sans squeezed his hand tighter, and together they ran, and ran, and ran, and ran, aNd RaN AnD rAn AND RaN AND RAn AND RAN AnD RAN AND RAN_

AND RAN AND RAN AND RAN AND RAN AND RAN

Papyrus couldn’t breathe.

Magic spewed everywhere, coating the floor, coating the wall, coating the door. Everywhere. Orange everywhere…

He felt hot...

AND RAN AND RAN AND RAN AND RAN AND RAN…

His legs wouldn’t work properly, and they collapsed beneath him.

He curled closer to the ground, skull against the floor.

His bones cracked.

AND RAN AND RAN AND RAN AND RAN AND RAN…

His body jolted.

His jaw clicked.

His spine stretched.

AND RAN AND RAN AND RAN AND RAN…

The world was grey and silver and black and orange

His limbs couldn’t work

One was completely useless

AND RAN AND RAN AND RAN AND RAN…

His breathing caught in his throat

His body was too large for the room

And he roared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Hides*


	16. Unleashed

Alphys, as the good friend she was, kept totally silent as Sans slowly told her about his brother, how he abandoned him and how he now had him back. How he had kept this from her, and hidden any notes of him, and how he had twisted his stories about his past to hide Papyrus and his actions.

At some point she had placed a hand on his arm, but made no move to quieten him, and once finished let him sniffle into her shoulder. 

“Thank y-you Sans,” She said after a while, “For telling m-me.”

“Are you angry? I’ve kept it from you since day one…”

“N-no, of course not, e-everyone keeps things t-to themselves,” She rubbed his back, “It’s n-natural.” They shared a smile, and turned to the doors as they hissed open, Undyne stomping into the room.

“Can I hit him now?” She cracked her knuckles and glared.

“No,” Alphys moved and put her hands on her shoulders, “Y-you can’t.” Undyne growled. “Don’t g-give me that, h-he’s got a good e-excuse.”

“Am I going to hear this good excuse?” Undyne peered around Alphys, scowling at Sans.

“E-err,” Alphys glanced at Sans, “Maybe one d-day…”

“DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY DAYS HE ABANDONED HIS POST?” Undyne exploded, making them all flinch, “I’D LIKE TO KNOW-”

The ground jolted, then shook, and then shuddered as the three were sent flying to the jittering floor. It bounced and skipped violently beneath them, tossing them left and right, into chairs and tables and desks, before abruptly slowing to a halt, leaving them groaning and bewildered in an awkward pile of limbs, arms and red hair.

Quick to recover, Undyne crawled over to Alphys (not before roughly pushing Sans off her stomach, much to the skeleton’s displeasure), holding out her glasses which had luckily survived the ordeal.

“You ok?” Her voice was considerably lower, “Alphys?” 

Said monster carefully pushed herself onto her knees, rubbing her head.

“I’m fine, S-Sans?” 

“Never better…” He grumbled into the floor tiles.

“He’s fine,” Undyne huffed, helping Alphys to her feet, “What was that?” Alphys hurried over to her desk, firing up her beloved computer and switching on the numerous cameras.

“All’s fine in W-Waterfall,” She reported, “And Snowdin…” A frown spread across her face, “And H-Hotland?”

“Not an earthquake, then?” Sans joined her at the monitor, hands in pockets, a small graze above his right eye socket. 

“Doesn’t look like it, I’ll check-” Alphys yelped as the floor shook again, and they all grabbed onto the monitor to stay upright. It continued for well over a minute, the sound of clatter and smashing echoing across the room as various items fell to the floor, including Alphys’ latest experiment, she noted sadly as the liquid spilled across the lab. Eventually it slowed and they were able to stand properly once more. 

“It’s coming from below…” Undyne reached across Alphys’ shoulder and pressed a button, the basement labs coming into view. Her breathing hitched, “What the heck is that?”

“Oh m-my…”

“No…”

In a tangled orange-flaming mess, stuck in one of the rooms of the old lab, was a giant, skeletal canine. Its head was wedged in the doorway, clearly stuck, with magic spilling from its body and into the corridor, painting the whole thing with the colours of fire. The rest of the creature was cramped into the small space, wriggling and struggling and desperate. Alphys placed a hand on her chest, even just looking at it made her feel claustrophobic, as if the very walls were closing in on her. The creature must have felt the same, as in a sudden, violent frenzy, it slammed itself into a wall, letting out an ear-piercing roar as the whole building bounced and wobbled.

“We need to kill it, before it gets out.”

“Undyne!” 

“Think of all the people!” Undyne argued back, “If it gets out it could kill them!”

“Papyrus…”

“We d-don’t know that! It m-might be f-friendly!”

“Does that look friendly to you?”

“Oh _bro_ …”

“I-it’s probably scared!”

“As everyone else will be!”

“Alphys,” Sans weakly latched onto her, abruptly ending the dispute, eyes staring up at the screen. Noticing the skeleton’s distress, Alphys took his hand in hers.

“Sans?”

“Alphys, that’s…That’s Papyrus…”

……

_Want out._

_Need out._

_Air._

_There’s no air._

_Can’t breathe._

_Orange._

_Everywhere._

_Can’t breathe._

_Fire._

_Fire!_

_“Some of the Guard’s knocked things over in the chemistry lab,” They quickly explained, “It’s started a fire! It’s-” A loud booming noise echoed from further down the corridor, and all of them darted backwards as red hot flames burst out into the corridor, roaring and screeching._

FiRefIrEFiReFiREFIReFIREFIREFIREFIREFIREFIRE

A roar screamed from Papyrus, unnatural and alien and tearing from his throat, and he felt his whole body serge with adrenaline, powering through the tiny space of the doorway, barging through the walls.

FIREFIREFIREFIREFIRE

Orange magic danced everywhere, swirling and diving and manic, engulfing his body and mind. The wall crumbled down his back.

_Need out._

_Need air._

FIREFIREFIREFIREFIRE

The walls shook and groaned, bits of ceiling raining down, igniting as they fell into tiny comets, battering Papyrus’ frame. 

**Ding!**

Small figures darted up to him, and Papyrus reared back in terror, flames burning hotter, a vicious growl rattling his bones. 

_Defend._

_Protect._

_Fight._

_Attack._

_Defend._

_Attack?_

Words were spoken to him, and arms were held out, but Papyrus didn’t understand what that meant. He flinched fiercely as a skeletal hand got too close, snapping at it and using his magic to push the figure away.

_Defend._

_Air._

_Out._

_Air._

_Attack?_

_Air._

_Out._

Somehow, through the hazy blur of his magic and the epic tunnel vision he was experiencing, Papyrus focused in on the doors of the lift, and lunged. A bullet of blue whizzed by his head, popping and hissing like a horrific demon, and he shrieked as another just missed his leg. Spinning on the spot, his magic reared and hit like a tsunami, smothering the corridor with its brilliant colour.

There were cries of horror and fear.

Something weakly grabbed onto his soul, and Papyrus rattled his bones and jumped, smashing onto the wall in an attempt to break free. He lunched suddenly to the other side, slamming himself into the floor, and the struggling hold was snapped away, freeing him. 

Sensing this opportunity, Papyrus leapt at the lift and forced the contraption to bend under him, using his head and shoulder to warp the metal enough that he could climb up into the elevator shaft. It was a tight fit, but that spurred him on, using his shaking limbs to pull and climb and tug, orange magic lighting the way and tumbling down the drop.

_Air._

_Out._

_Air._

_Out._

_Defend._

_Out._

_Fire?_

_Air._

Pounding his body against the wall, he broke through the doors, crawling out onto the ground floor and blasting his way outside, magic now so hot that he left burnt paw prints in the dirt. Blue arrows zipped and crackled at him, and some hit hard on his rib cage, others flying over his back and under his tail. Papyrus bellowed in pain, swinging around and sprinting across the land, guided by a frenzy of panic and desperation.

_Out._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that happened.


	17. Lost

Sans could only watch, powerless, as his little brother vanished into Hotland, magic and chaos following in his wake. He could barely breathe, taking small, shaky breaths as he held out a hand, wanting nothing more than to bring Papyrus back to the safety of his arms and hold him close, reassure him that everything was ok, and that he wouldn’t let anything happen to him. 

( _“I’m scared!” “It’s ok, I’m here.”_ )

Something twisted in his chest, and Sans gulped. Oh god. Oh _god._

_Papyrus…_

Undyne grunted, and Sans was suddenly snapped back into reality, finding himself perched on her back, arms wrapped around her shoulders. Alphys was safely tucked under her arm. Sans had barely even registered being pulled up during the madness, and was mildly surprised to find himself sitting there. Undyne had shown her great skill as a leader, keeping totally focused throughout the ruckus, and swift to follow Papyrus up the elevator shaft. 

Alphys was placed onto her feet. Sans was shrugged off.

“He’s gonna kill someone.” Undyne said, her voice distant, as if finally processing what had happened. She turned on Sans. “What. The. Hell.” 

Sans wilted under her gaze, not quite able to meet her eyes.

“It’s…Complicated-”

“I’m getting real sick of you keeping stuff from me,” She bent down to his level, “I was putting up with it before, but that,” She pointed at the destroyed wall of the building, “And that,” Then to the warped and twisted elevator shaft, “Cannot be described as _personal_. That _thing_ is gonna kill someone, if not slaughter towns. I have a duty to protect them. So tell me. Now.”

“That was Papyrus. My brother.” He said frankly, just wanting it off his chest. It was harder to say than he realised, as if acknowledging that the giant, violent canine was the same person as the little skeleton that used to toddle after him when first learning to walk, or who used to fit perfectly in his arms as a baby bones, lulled to sleep by his big brother.

_Papyrus…_

Undyne sucked in a breath, and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“You get one more chance…” She said through gritted teeth.

“No, r-really,” Alphys stepped between them, shielding Sans a little, “H-he told me, that he h-has a brother, that’s w-what we were talking a-about.” Undyne looked between them, bewilderment crossing her features momentarily.

“You’re related to _that_?”

“Undyne!”

“Yeah, that’s a thing we can do,” Sans shifted about on his feet, a horrid, nauseating feeling twisting in his stomach. “I mean, I haven’t, for years, actually, but he…He was like that for a long time, not like that mind you, but like that, smaller, and scrawny and stuff,” He was rambling, “But he had shifted back, to a bipedal form, he could talk and hold stuff and was fine. He must off…” Sans’ voice trailed away, hands clenching so tight that his bones ached, “Why was he in the old labs?”

“T-that doesn’t matter now,” Alphys placed a hand on his shoulder, “We n-need to find him, c-calm him down.”

“You saw the state he was in, he won’t be calmed down.” Undyne crossed her arms.

“Like that, h-he’s going to hurt himself.”

“He’s going to hurt others,” Undyne turned to Sans, “I have a duty, Sans, and if it comes to it I must protect them. I can’t let innocents be killed just because Papyrus cannot handle himself.” 

“He wouldn’t hurt anyone,” Sans shook his head, “He couldn’t hurt anyone.”

“He snapped at you,” Undyne countered, “You only have a hand because I pulled you out the way. He’s gone berserk, Sans, he dangerous, and when push comes to shove I must save the lives of multiple people over one.”

Sans frowned at her but remained silent. 

……

There was screaming.

Who was screaming?

Papyrus looked around, blinking rapidly.

Who was screaming?

Oh!

Teenagers! 

A group of them huddled together against the stone wall.

They were shaking.

That wasn’t good.

Papyrus moved forward.

They screamed.

_The box screamed, and Papyrus jumped violently, his attack hovering in mid-air, useless._

_“Subject P, attack.”_

_“B-but there’s-”_

_“I don’t care, attack.”_

_Papyrus shifted on his feet, fiddling with his hands. There was shuffling from within the box._

_“But it’s alive…” He said weakly, eyes wide and sad, “They must have families. If I attack, they’ll die.”_

_“That is the aim.”_

_“But they can’t die!”_

_“Do not,” Suddenly the Scientist was looming over him, “Take that tone with me. Subject S had no problems completing the task, I expect you to be the same.”_

_“B-but I can’t!”_

_“Disappointing,” A hand reached towards him, “How very disappointing.”_

Papyrus smacked into the wall, legs uncontrollable, head spinning, and the teens screamed again. He wished they’d stop, his head hurt. Where was he now? He stumbled onto his feet but within seconds fell crashing down, spraying water everywhere. 

The teens screamed.

“STOP IT!” He bellowed, a rough, harsh shriek leaving his mouth. They screamed. Groaning and snarling he swung his body around to face them, and they scattered like ants, screaming as they ran from him, beneath him, around him, screaming, screaming, screaming screaming screaming screaming-

_-Screaming, Sans was screaming. Papyrus could hear the sounds of his arms and legs hitting the table, his head smacking against the unforgiving metal as the machines whirred and buzzed. Papyrus couldn’t see any of this, he had been told to stand in the corner and face the wall, but he could hear it. Somehow it made everything scarier._

_It was terrifying when all went suddenly silent, not even the familiar scratching of the Scientists’ pen on paper. Papyrus held his breath, hands clutching at his gown, waiting for something, anything, to tell him what was happening._

_“Stand up. Subject P, join him.”_

_Moving swiftly across the room, Papyrus darted over to the table, blinking up at Sans, who was sat up. Sweat covered him and his whole body was shaking. His breathing was ragged, with a slight wheezy quality to it, and Papyrus felt his heart break._

_“Sans-”_

_“No talking.” Helping his brother to stand, he used himself as a makeshift crutch as they made their way to their room. Once alone, he walked his brother over to the bed, sitting him down. Sans groaned and closed his eyes, taking a couple of deep breaths. For a moment Papyrus just hovered beside him, wanting to touch but fearing that it would cause Sans more pain. After a while Sans seems to sense him, reaching out with his eyes still closed and pulling him into a hug._

_“I’m ok.”_

_“You’re hurt!”_

_“Don’t worry about it,” Sans ran a hand along his back, “I’ll heal.”_

_“It sounded really bad…”_

_“Heh, yeah, he went full out today.”_

_“But at least it’s over now.”_

_“Yeah, that all for today.” They cuddled close._

_Then the door opened._

_“Subject P.”_

Tears streamed down Papyrus’ face, or was that water?

Wait, where was he now?

He blinked heavily.

Where had the lab gone?

Sans?

Mud squelched underfoot.

Where…Where had their room gone?

His head hurt. 

He whined and backed up, toppling over backwards when his back leg gave out and splashing into a large body of water. 

_Where-_

_Sans-_

_What-_

He struggled, pulling himself up onto his feet, breathing erratic, water sloshing inside his skull.

Lab?

Sans?

Air?

What?

_“Love you too bro.”_

Papyrus froze, standing stock still, eyes giant.

_“Love you too bro.”_

His vision warped and snaked, and then, blooming out of the dark, a small blue flower appeared.


	18. Echo Flower

It wasn’t hard to follow Papyrus. The skeleton turned canine had left a trail of destruction in his wake, from burnt buildings and scorched footprints to shaken citizens. It was only by some miracle that no one was killed. There were a few injuries, a mildly burnt leg and a twisted ankle to name a few, but no fatalities. Sans could live with that. Undyne couldn’t. Alphys kept quiet. 

Soon Hotland turned into Waterfall, and the paw prints vanished into the wet soil. However the flattened plant life and the crumbled walls were enough to make up for that. 

Sans shivered from within his jacket, keeping his eyes to the ground. 

“Hey!” Alphys and Sans jumped as a figure came stumbling towards them, “Don’t go that way!” It was a teenager, a scrawny dog-like monster with a large bump on his forehead. He kept tipping to one side as he walked, and his hands were constantly shaking.

“A-are you ok?” Alphys studied the boy with concern.

“What happened?” Undyne frowned, already looking accusingly at Sans.

“There’s this b-big monster! It’s like…Like massive! And all bone-y!” He pointed deeper into Waterfall, “It went that way!”

“Can you f-follow my finger?” Alphys tilted the boy’s chin so he was facing her, holding out a finger and moving it from side to side. After a moment she sighed. “He’s got a concussion; we can’t leave him on his own.”

“Well done Sans…” Undyne muttered to herself, and Sans gripped the inside of his pockets tightly.

“How’s this my-” He paused, then growled, turning his back to her and marching off along the trail of chaos. 

“U-Undyne, I’m going t-to take this teen home, I k-know his parents.”

“You’re leaving me and Sans _alone_?” Both of them seemed less than thrilled at the idea.

“I know, but w-we can’t leave this kid h-here, and c-certainly cannot take him with us.”

“Ugh…” Undyne groaned, “Fine, but I make no promises that he’ll be as you found him.” Alphys raised an eyebrow and Undyne softened a bit, “See you later, ok?”

“Yeah.” Smiling at one another, they went their separate ways, the Royal Guard quickly able to catch up with Sans.

“Well,” She scooped him up, “It’s just you and me now, how about we pick up the pace a bit?” With that she sped off across Waterfall, the skeleton brother just able to cling to her back. 

……

_“Love you too bro.”_

Papyrus was frozen over the flower, only his muzzle moving to gently tap it and hear its message. His eyes were wide and unblinking, staring intently at the plant, as if it held the secrets of life itself.

_“Love you too bro.”_

His pupils turned to pin pricks, and the world was lost to him once more.

_Papyrus was alone._

_Papyrus was cold._

_Papyrus was hurt._

_Papyrus wanted nothing more than his brother. He wanted to be cuddled and loved and rocked to sleep. He wanted the pain to go away. He wanted his scarf._

_He wanted his body back._

_Shivering, he huddled within the grass, cold and lonely, and confused as to why they had attacked him. He only wanted to be friends, and Sans said it was ok! But they had laughed at him, and said nasty things, and hurt him. He had ran away, moving from the special spot Sans had taken him to, and was lost and alone. Sans was going to be so angry with him._

_He didn’t know how late it was, or how injured he was, or that a whole day had passed, and that Sans had returned to the spot and found him gone, and had left believing he had been taken in by an old turtle._

_He whimpered and sniffled, rubbing at his eye with a long, foreign claw. Sans was going to be so worried, Papyrus knew how worried he could get, and it would make him sad and have nightmares. He had a lot of nightmares, no matter how close Papyrus held him at night, or how many soothing words he said. Sans would stay stuff in his nightmares, and they weren’t always nice things, but Papyrus still loved him and hushed him, just like he was meant to. He tried to be a good brother, he really did._

_Only he wasn’t, was he? Sans had told him to stay put, and he hadn’t. Sans often told him to do things, and Papyrus would often mess them up. Like the time he’d tripped and ruined their scavenged food, or the time when snuck out to play in the falling snow, but got really sick. And he had lied, he didn’t tell Sans he played in the snow, and Sans was so concerned about him. Papyrus couldn’t remember much from being sick, but he knew Sans had been there, and that he was distressed, and that he’d say stuff Papyrus didn’t understand. He was bad. He was such a handful, wasn’t he? He always caused trouble, and couldn’t do as well as Sans, and now Sans must be worried about him all over again._

_Filled with new determination, Papyrus stood on wobbly legs, the injured led dragging behind. It hurt, badly, and every time it hit a bump a jolt of pain would shoot through him, but he kept going. He needed to go back to his brother. He needed to stop him worrying. He could do it; he could get back to their special spot. He was the Great Papyrus after all._

_But Sans wasn’t at their special spot. It lay empty, bare of any sign of life, and Papyrus began to feel frightened. Sans had said he was coming back, he was going to be gone for a while and then come back. Papyrus couldn’t come because he was a baby bones, and Sans needed him here. Sans said he was a good boy, a cool dude, and to make friends. Sans had been wrong about making friends._

_Did that make everything else Sans said wrong too?_

_Was he a good boy?_

_(“Ah! Papyrus!” “Sorry Sans…”)_

_Was he a cool dude?_

_(“Subject P, stop being pathetic.”)_

_Was…_

_Papyrus sat in the mud, shaking, hurting…_

_Was Sans coming back?_

_…Abandoned._

……

“Papyrus?” 

Sans moved very carefully, not wanting to frighten his brother as he stood alarmingly still, tears trickling down his skull. His body was a mess, muddy and wounded, ash and soot settled in all the little cracks that scattered his bones, the injured leg shaking from being used when it clearly couldn’t stand the weight. 

Undyne stood further back, a spear waiting in her hand, ready to strike if Papyrus turned violent. 

_“Love you too bro.”_

Sans startled, blinking at the echo flower. Was that…?

_“Love you too bro.”_

Oh _Papyrus…_

_“Ok, see you later brother! Love you!”_

_“Love you too bro.”_

_There was a pause, Sans watching his brother's wide grin, the way his little mitten-covered hands held the blanket and his treats, before he vanished into thin air._

Sans’ gut churned and he swallowed heavily, trying to keep the tremor out of his hands. God, he was such an awful brother, such an awful monster. He had done this; he had turned his brother’s life into an emotional, painful wreck. 

He needed to put it right.

“Papyrus?” He tried again, edging a little closer. The movement caught Papyrus’ line of vision, and his eyes, large and orange, swivelled around to him. Sans tried to stay steady under the unblinking stare. Papyrus gave no indication of recognising him. 

“H-hey, it’s me…” Papyrus let out a weird, warbled groan and shook his head as if trying to clear it, tears still streaming down his face. “Can you hear me Paps?”

Wrong move.

Maybe it was the nickname, maybe it was the fact that he held out his hand, maybe it was because his brother had suddenly snapped out of his trance, but Papyrus flinched badly, whining and trembling and groaning, magic spurting up around his feet.

“Hey! Hey, ok!” Sans backed up, hands in the air, “I’m not gonna do anything!” His brother grumbled and muttered, turning on the spot and looking around dazed. After a moment he lowered his head to intensely rub at his skull with his paw. Sans was strangely reminded of the first time Papyrus woke up in his house.

“I think he’s trying to talk to you,” Undyne said from behind him, studying Papyrus.

“What do you mean?”

“Sometimes the dogs do that, growl and stuff,” She shrugged, “They talk to each other. It’s a royal pain ‘cause I have no idea what they’re saying.”

“Well I don’t speak it either,” Sans huffed, turning his attention back to his brother. Papyrus’ magic was beginning to rise up his body. He was panicking again.

“Didn’t you say you could both do this?” 

Sans shot her a look.

“I haven’t done it in years! Even further back for fun!” Undyne just crossed her arms.

“Well he ain’t having much fun either.” Sans’ face crumpled, and he looked between his boss and his brother. Oh god, he was going to have to, wasn’t he?

Oh god.

Oh _god_.

( _His body felt weird and unnatural. There was pain, so much pain…_ )

His breathing began to pick up and he forced himself to slow it, smothering the terrible feeling in his chest. He could do this. He would have to do this. 

_For Papyrus._

“Here,” He held out his jacket to Undyne, and then his shirt, and then his shorts and slippers, “Look after these for me. And you might wanna stand back.”

Ok, alright, he could do this.

It was just the opposite of what he had told Papyrus.

Want to be dog. Not skeleton. Dog.

Something clicked inside him, and he felt his knees give way.

_Dog_ , he told his mind.

His body jolted, and a horrible ache slithered into his bones.

_Dog_ , he told his body.

The ground was getting further and further away, his nose was getting longer, his spine was stretching out.

_Dog_ , he told his soul.

And it was done. 

( _“Subject S, that was-”_ )

“Well that was anticlimactic!” Undyne shouted, and Sans jumped, mildly dazed by how different her voice sounded from this new height. He gazed down at her, and she gazed back, arms crossed and clothes dumped on the floor, most probably soaking in the waterlogged ground. _Great._

He offered his best shrug and turned his attention back to his brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be interesting...


	19. It's Ok

What Sans saw made his heart break.

Papyrus was crouched low on his belly, slinking away from him like a cat trying to avoid a dog, glancing over his shoulder as he moved. 

Sans was torn. He didn’t want to chase his brother, that would only make the situation worse, but at the same time Papyrus was beginning to disappear further into Waterfall, and if he didn’t act now Papyrus would vanish and they’d have to track him down again. Hesitantly he took a step forward.

“Papyrus?” He said, or rather rumbled, a growling noise rattling his bones. Huh, he’d never tried talking in this form before. The younger skeleton froze before warily turning to face him, sill low to the ground. He had managed to get fairly far away from Sans, but luckily their voices were loud enough for Papyrus to still pick it up.

“What…?” Papyrus whimpered, blinking lost eyes at him, “Where…?”

“It’s Sans,” He took another step forward, “I look different but it’s me.”

“Noooooo,” Papyrus shook his head, “Nooo, I…Where?”

“I’m right here, Papyrus, look I’m right in front of you.”

“No, no, I…” Papyrus seemed stricken, glancing around, as if looking for something, “Where? Why? Where? Flower…” He turned his gaze onto the echo flower, and Sans swallowed.

“Ah ah,” He placed himself between the plant and the canine as Papyrus strode towards it, making him jump and stare, “I need you to stay with me Papyrus.”

“Flower…” Papyrus whined, peering at it around Sans before once again scanning around, “Where brother?”

“I’m right here,” Sans moved directly up to him, suddenly noticing how small Papyrus was compared to him. On him, Papyrus only just made his shoulder, and Sans’ bones were stockier, more robust. Maybe, even when fully formed, he was still able to feel the effects of malnourishment. 

“Brother?” Papyrus whimpered and lowered his head, “Brother gone…?”

“Brother here,” Sans pushed his muzzle against Papyrus’, “Look, brother right here.” The younger blinked at him, and for a moment his eyes cleared, the magic died down, and his voice became more certain.

“Sans?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“But, but…” Papyrus frowned, “But you’re…And I’m…”

“I know, don’t think about it,” Sans trilled gently, trying to calm his brother before he rose into another panic. He rubbed their skulls together, trying to soothe the rising nerves. 

“I was in the labs…” Papyrus’ pupils began to shrink, “The labs…” His body went rigid.

“No, no Papyrus stay with me,” Sans nudged the other, trying to regain his attention. 

_Come on bro, you can do this._

He didn’t expect Papyrus to snap at him.

He didn’t expect Papyrus to lunge. 

He didn’t expect Papyrus to attack.

Caught off guard, Sans was slammed onto his back, Papyrus growling and bellowing as he tried to grab his throat, only Sans’ forelegs keeping him at bay. Orange magic swirled and jittered, surrounding them in a mist of animalistic terror spurred on by Papyrus. 

“Papyrus! No!” Using his larger, sturdier body, he managed to roll them over, reversing their roles with Papyrus now trapped on his back, “Bro, listen to me!”

“Off! Off!” His brother thundered, trying to bite Sans’ legs, his face, his neck, magic flaring wildly, “Attack, defend, off!”

“There’s no one to attack!” Sans tried to reason, growing more desperate as Papyrus twisted beneath him, “There’s no one to defend! You’re safe!”

“No, no!” Papyrus snarled, attempting to knock him off his feet, “No! No, no, no, no…No…Please, no…” Slowly the roaring turned to pleading, his fighting becoming slower, less powerful, “Please…Brother? No, attack, off…Please? Where? Hurts. Where?”

“Papyrus, you’re in Waterfall, remember?” He kept his weight down on his brother, just in case he sprung into another attack, but he made his voice soft, “I’m here, and you’re here and nothing is going to hurt you.”

“Sans?” He seemed to slur a little, “Waterfall, right, Waterfall…”

“Yeah, Waterfall. Breathe, that’s it,” Sans released his brother as Papyrus went slack, sucking in deep, wheezy gasps, “You got this.”

“Sans?” Papyrus sat up, “Sans?”

“Right here.” 

Papyrus looked up at him, eyes huge and full of tears and fear, and Sans felt something within him crumple, and he carefully curled up next to him, laying his head over the youngers’. Papyrus hiccupped, sniffled, then burst into fall sobs, pressing his head against Sans’ shoulder.

“Shh, I’m right here.”

“Y-you left me, Sans! You _left_ me!”

“I know,” His voice was quiet, gentle, “I know, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that to you. We were both so young-” Papyrus shook his head.

“Earlier, you left me, in the house,” Sans’ eyes widened, “Y-you went…” Papyrus broke into sobs once more. Sans swallowed, holding him close.

_I left him…_

He had. He had suddenly upped and left, not really explaining anything to Papyrus. He got so distracted by Undyne that he had failed to tell his brother anything, the morning after a horrible nightmare, and left. God, Papyrus must have been _so scared_ , all alone in the big house, probably thinking back to the first time Sans had let him down. He must have felt so…

Realisation hit Sans.

When had he ever asked Papyrus how he felt?

They had talked about Sans leaving him. Sans had explained his side, and Papyrus some of his, but when had Sans ever asked how he felt about the whole thing? How he felt at the time? How he felt now? It was still affecting him; _of course_ it was still affecting him. How could it not? It was traumatic, it was awful, Papyrus had only been young, barely out of his toddling years, and he expected him to just bounce back? To act like it never happened? Sans had Alphys, he’d had her for years. He had talked to her for years. Who did Papyrus have? And then suddenly it seemed like it was happening all over again, that Sans was leaving without a word and not coming back. 

_“I’ve wrapped some monster candy inside, which are for emergencies only, you got that Pap?”_

He had said then.

_“Right, help yourself to anything.”_

He had said now.

How could that not terrify his brother?

And then the labs, well, they had just been the straw that broke the camel’s back. Fuelled by confusion and anxiety Papyrus had sparked his own change, ending up in a body he was not fully used to with memories he did not understand. The three of them certainly didn’t help matters, especially a certain fish’s spears. 

Sans hadn’t noticed that he had shifted back, or that his arms were now wrapped around a shaking, bipedal skeleton, who clung to him for dear life.

“I’m sorry.”

He knew it would take more than that, way more than that, to solve this.

“I’m sorry.”

But it was the only thing he could say.

……

Snowdin was closer than the labs, which seemed like a bad idea, so the trio headed there. Papyrus had fallen asleep against Sans, exhaustion and fatigue finally catching up with him, so Undyne carried him on her back, a concerned Sans hovering next to her the entire way. 

Once home, they settled him on the sofa, Sans tucking a thick blanket over him and running a hand over his head, thinking back to when he first found Papyrus. They were quiet for a while, Sans by his brother, Undyne leaning against the wall, watching them with an unreadable expression. Eventually she sighed and announced that she was going to go find Alphys, leaving the skeleton brothers alone.

Sans stayed where he was for the rest of the day, eventually dozing off against the sofa, not waking until the next morning when Alphys appeared with cinnamon buns and soup.

“I’ll put them a-away,” She said quietly, “So y-you can have t-them later.”

“Thanks,” Sans slurred, rubbing an eye. She reappeared from the kitchen, heading straight for the door. She paused and smiled.

“I’ll leave you t-to it. Call m-me, yeah?”

“Right,” He smiled back, “Thanks Alphys.”

“Sans?” Immediately said skeleton was by Papyrus’ side, not even registering the sound of the door closing. He took Papyrus’ hand.

"I'm here. it's alright."

“What…?” Papyrus blinked, taking in their surroundings, “We’re back…”

“Yeah, Undyne had to carry you. You’ve been sleeping for a while.”

“Really?” Papyrus sat up, groaning with the effort, “Everything aches.”

“It probably will for a little longer, that was some shift,” Sans sat himself on the couch, leaning Papyrus against himself and manoeuvring the blanket so Papyrus was warm. 

“I’ve…Never been like that before,” His brother accepted the comfort, resting his head on Sans’ shoulder, “I’ve never been that big.”

“You shifted when you were five, you physically couldn’t be that big,” Sans thought for a moment, “That’s the size you’re meant to be, mostly anyway, you were still a bit small. I’m bigger, but I suppose you could put that down to being older.”

“Oh,” Papyrus pulled the blanket closer around himself, “Will it happen again?”

“Do you want it to?”

“No,” He shook his head, “No, never, I never…” He trailed off, his bones beginning to shake.

“You didn’t want it to happen in the first place,” Sans finished, wrapping an arm around Papyrus’ shoulders, “You had a bit of a shock.”

“Those labs, they…They…” Sans rubbed his arm.

“Hey, it’s ok, you’re not there anymore.”

“B-but they _hurt_ you Sans!” Papyrus protested, holding onto him, “You were screaming and I couldn’t do anything and you were in so much pain and…” His breathing sped up, “T-then we were running and we had to keep running and there was a fire and-”

“Hey, hey shh, you’re ok,” Sans pulled him into a hug, “It’s over now, it’s over.”

“But you were hurt!”

“I know, but I’m not now, ok? Look at me, I’m fine. Don’t focus on all that, focus on me now.” Sans took a deep breath, “I know it hurts to think about it, it’s horrible and can really suck, and it’ll give you nightmares and sneak up on you when you least expect it, but you need to think about all the good things. I…Haven’t really given you much of a chance to think about good things, but we can make some, together.”

Papyrus snuggled closer, wrapping the blanket over the both of them.

An idea suddenly struck Sans.

“So…You know that spare room?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so, the next chapter is something I wrote for the epilogue, but it didn't really fit, so I'm going to upload it next as it kinda fits. As for the ACTUAL epilogue, it doesn't exist. I simply can't write anything after the final chapter (which will be chapter 21), because I like where I leave the characters. Anything else feels like it's a whole other load of chapters which I don't have the time to write.  
> Actually, in a way the final chapter is a little like an epilogue, so feel free to view it as that!


	20. Red Cape and Blue Arm

_“Wowie…” Papyrus sighed, causing Sans to glance up from their begging bowl. They were sat just outside the store, underneath the display window, a usual spot for Sans, a new one for Papyrus. Normally people didn’t ask too many questions when it was just him, so he often came alone, but seeing as Papyrus had been sick as a dog only three days ago, he felt unhappy having the baby bones out of his sight._

_“Don’t go falling in love, Pap,” He warned, watching as his brother pressed his skull against the window, “We can’t afford any of that.”_

_“I know,” Papyrus turned to him, “But maybe we will next week, so I’m just getting ready for that.”_

_“Heh, if you say so…” Sans frowned, “It’s starting to snow again.” Sans got to his knees and pulled up Papyrus’ hoodie, wrapping the scarf tightly around his neck._

_“Saaaans!”_

_He chuckled and sat back down, smile dimming at the empty bowl in front of him. Apparently nobody was in a giving mood today. Papyrus began to babble beside him, going on about the arms on the blue one and the cape on the red, and Sans allowed himself to tune it out, grunting and mm-ing at the appropriate moments._

_“They look so strong!”_

_“Ahh.”_

_“Aw, can you imagine, you could do this-” Papyrus swung his arm wildly, “And that-” He spun about, “With an arm like that!”_

_“Mmm-hmm.”_

_“And…And…And…” Papyrus suddenly quietened, making little gasping noises that had his brother beside him in a heartbeat._

_“Hey, calm down, deep breaths, you’re still a bit ill bro,” He rubbed Papyrus’ skull, “Feel better?”_

_“Yeah, I’m ok, so-Oh!” Papyrus blinked at someone behind Sans’ shoulder._

_“Subject S.” Sans span on the spot, his eye blazing as a shadowy figure loomed over them, “Do you understand?”_

_“W-what?”_

_“Do I have to repeat myself, Subject S?”_

_“I…I…”_

_“Sans!” Papyrus scolded, and the older blinked, “Don’t be rude!” His brother moved forward, “Yes please.” Holding out his hands, the figure handed him something and moved away. Papyrus returned to his side, holding out an object._

_“Huh?” Taking it, Sans realised it was a cinnamon bun, “Where did…?”_

_“The bunny lady,” Papyrus said with a full mouth, “She was nice.”_

_“Bunny…?” Staring after the figure, he noticed the large ears poking out of her head, “Oh…W-wait we shouldn’t have these.”_

_“Why not?” Half of Papyrus’ was already gone, “They’re yummy!”_

_“Yeah, but we owe her now, we’ve got nothing to give, she could…” Sans swallowed and changed his words, “She might want something from us.”_

_“She said they were free though?” Papyrus tilted his head at him, “Weren’t you listening?”_

_“I…” Sans sighed, he was lacking the energy for any of this. Instead he just handed Papyrus his bun and picked up their bowl, steering them back to their gear behind the shop._

“Heh,” Sans held the small figures in his hands, looking them over, “The blue one’s arm and the red one’s cape…” They were in a battered condition, and the blue one’s leg was going to need some tender loving care, but they were them, the ones he had loved all those years ago. 

Sans added them to his shopping basket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The epilogue that wasn't really an epilogue.
> 
> Next one's the last chapter! And is kinda epilogue-ish. Ahh, I can't believe this is almost finished!


	21. Brothers, Together

Three months went by, without anyone even noticing. 

The damage caused by Papyrus was fixed, the Royal Guard lending a hand while Sans helped with the designs and construction. Turned out he was pretty good at that kind of thing. Papyrus had been banned from feeling guilty (though he still did, in secret), but did his part by cooking meals with Undyne for the workers. 

Anyone who had a problem with his food mysteriously vanished for half an hour before turning up and requesting seconds, black eye and all.

Undyne and Alphys talked things out, and came out the other side better for it. They now had a deeper understanding of each other, and were closer than ever, to the point where people would shout “Just get married already!” in the street, to which Alphys would blush uncontrollably and Undyne would laugh.

Alphys had also spoken to Papyrus, and Sans now escorted his brother to her lab once a week to talk, like he had done all those years ago. Sometimes he went in with Papyrus, sometimes he waited outside, but his brother always came out lighter than when he had gone in, and Sans was forever grateful to Alphys for that. 

He was also grateful for Alphys giving Papyrus braces. While in bipedal form Papyrus’ teeth were never as bad as they were in canine, they were still in a bad condition, and were pretty noticeable when talking to him. The braces were helping, though, and Sans hoped that soon his brother’s teeth would as good as new. 

His leg was a different story. It had been weakened greatly during the…Ordeal, and put under enormous pressure when Papyrus had been standing on it while shifted. Now it was worse than before. Alphys had suggested replacing it with an artificial limb, but both of them had quickly said no. The risks were too great, and there was no chance that the artificial limb would attach to the magic that held their bones together. It wasn’t worth losing the entire leg if it went wrong. 

So instead they got Papyrus a crutch, to help ease the pressure off the bad leg and gradually build up some strength in it. It was never going to be fully functional, and he would forever have a limp, but if they could get it back to the stage where he would walk unassisted, then he could live with it.

 

 

“Hey,” Sans sat down next to Papyrus on the front door step, “Penny for your thoughts?”

“I’m just…Thinking,” Papyrus said voice a little dreamy. His breath puffed around them as he spoke, and Sans removed his scarf, wrapping it around his brother.

“Here have this, it doesn’t suit me anyway.” Papyrus blinked at him before smiling, leaning his head against Sans’ and watching the night.

“Thank you.”

The sound of Grillby’s floated through the air, and snow began to trickle from the sky.

“I’m making hot chocolate, you want some?” Sans offered, relaxing against him.

“What’s hot chocolate?” Sans gasped as if he had said ketchup wasn’t a drink and vanished, making Papyrus yelp, seconds later he was back, two steaming mugs in his hands. He offered one out.

“Here, careful, it’s hot.” Papyrus took a small sip.

“It’s good!”

“Why thank you,” Sans smirked, gulping down some of his own. They fell quiet, holding their warm mugs and watching the snow.

“Sans?”

Hmm?”

“Are we going to be ok?” Papyrus looked at him, a sad expression in his eyes. Sans could read his fear, his fear that something might happen, his fear that they might fall out or argue, his fear that he might turn against his will again. 

( _“Sans? Are we family?”_ )

Sans smiled softly.

“Of course we are, Paps,” He put his mug down and brought his arms around his brother, pulling him into a deep hug, “Want to know how I know?”

“How?” Papyrus asked into his shoulder.

“I haven’t had a single nightmare, or flashback, or seen something that’s not there since you’ve been with me.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Papyrus rested against him.

“Sans?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

Sans smiled and peered up at the darkened sky, watching as the snow falls quietly.

“Love you too bro.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somewhere in the ruins, a small child fell, their knife glinting in the sunlight.
> 
>  
> 
> Hehe, that was how I originally was going to end it, but Pap and Sans aren't quite at the stage yet where they would act/talk like they would in the game, so I left it out. I'll let you decide if it ultimately happens though! Muahahaha!!
> 
> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS, KUDOS, AND FOR FOLLOWING THIS STORY! You honestly have no idea how much I love you all. I have written stories in the past which have gone without comments, and it is the most disheartening thing. I was literally giddy when people began to follow this! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
> 
> I want to give a little advice to anyone else writing: Don't plan, just write. Motivation is a fleeting thing, so when you want to write, just do it. That was what happened with chapter one, and I just kept going. I was on chapter 7 before I had even published chapter one! I also had no idea where this story was going to go - I made it up as I went along. The most I did for planning was, "Oh, I could hint at this thing here and do it later!" and that's what I did. So don't overthink it, just do it!
> 
> I won't be writing another multi-chapter fic for a while as in a few weeks I'll be going back to university, but keep an eye out, as I might write some one-shots for various fandoms!
> 
> THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I hope you enjoyed the So-Many-Feels roller coaster, please visit again!

**Author's Note:**

> Based loosely on Shipperskipper's Abandoned AU, though I'm not following their story. You can find their AU here:
> 
> http://shipperskipper.tumblr.com/post/137834000695/abandonedau-sorry-it-isnt-a-finished-piecei?is_related_post=1


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